Dark Shadows: Escape
by Val76
Summary: A/U Willie and Maggie: Willie decides to help Maggie escape from Barnabas, providing an escape not only for her, but for him as well. Rated M for sexual content and some vampire-related horror. I appreciate your reviews! Enjoy! DISCLAIMER: I don't own the rights to the Dark Shadows name or characters in this story.
1. Chapter 1

Dark Shadows: Escape

_Chapter 1_

The small cell that held Maggie Evans prisoner felt smaller and smaller each day. She lost count of how may sunrises and sunsets she had missed since her kidnapping. It had to have been at least 12 days, maybe 14? Maybe only a week since the night Barnabas Collins tried to kill her - the night she cowered in the corner, wearing the old-fashioned white wedding gown and veil. The night that she was sure she would die at the hands of the evil vampire, when Willie Loomis, of all people, stepped in to save her. _"I can't let you kill her, Barnabas. You'll have to kill me first." _His words resonated in her mind as she remembered how he protectively stood in front of her, risking his life for her. _"Look at her, Barnabas. Look how beautiful she is!" _Barnabas admitted that was why he didn't kill her. However, Maggie did not feel beautiful in the uncomfortable black wool gown she had been given to wear. It had finally ceased to annoy her as she became accustomed to her current situation. Her long auburn hair felt so unkempt and coarse. No direct daylight, no warmth, no luxury of a comfortable bed, no choice in food or drink, and the only regular human being to see was Willie. He saved her life that night, so why wouldn't he help her now? What was this hold that Barnabas had on him? She didn't understand. After begging and pleading daily with Willie to help her escape, she gave up. She even tried bribing him with her precious ring, but he dropped it and it ended up in Barnabas's hands. Every time she saw Willie, he would remind her that if she would just pretend to be Josette, she would be safe. She tried, but she couldn't do it. How could she pretend to be the love of Barnabas's life when everything he did made her despise him? Maggie knew that the only way out was through Willie. How could she convince him to help her escape?

"_How long was Barnabas gonna drag this out," _thought Willie Loomis as he prepared Maggie's breakfast. He didn't know how much longer he could stand to watch her in that cold cell and pretend like he didn't care. He had always felt a slight attraction to Maggie and he knew that was part of his decision to keep Barnabas from killing her that night. She looked so beautiful in that wedding dress. She had such a delightful personality that made everyone love her. Willie thought about the terror that he felt as he stood between her and Barnabas, sure that he was going to kill them both. But, for the first time in his life, he put someone else before himself. Now, seeing her spirit broken, it would have been so easy to give in to her begging and pleading to help her escape - watching the tears fall down her beautiful face. He hated to see her cry - she didn't deserve this. _"She's a prisoner, just like me." _At least she had a family that cared about her. Willie had no one. He accepted his fate of being Barnabas's lifelong servant a long time ago. It was what he deserved. There would never be a way out for him and he knew that. However, as he gazed upon Maggie, still asleep on her cot, he started to imagine what it would be like to wake up every morning next to that goddess of a woman. A smile started to cross his lips, but quickly disappeared as he remembered that she was already spoken for, not just by Barnabas, but also by Joe Haskell. Even if she went back to her old life, by some miracle, he wouldn't have a chance with her. Her family would never forgive him for his behavior in the past, not to mention his part in her kidnapping.

The sound of the key in the lock startled Maggie awake as it did every morning. She looked up and watched Willie enter with her breakfast. She could smell the fresh oatmeal he had made for her, but she still couldn't manage to get too excited. He set everything down for her, then turned to leave. "Willie? Could you stay and talk to me, please?"

"You know I can't do that."

"Come on, you can't expect me to sit in this place every day with no one to talk to. I need to talk to someone - just for a few minutes." She stood up and gently grabbed his hand.

Willie made the mistake of meeting her anxious gaze and realized that he couldn't say no to her request. The feeling of her hand in his felt so nice. "You gotta promise - no more askin' or beggin' me to help you escape."

"Yes, I promise. I just need some conversation to keep me from going crazy in here." She plopped down on the cot, then motioned for him to join her.

Willie rubbed his hands together anxiously, peered through the bars of the cell door, then quickly sat down next to her on the cot. "So, w-what do ya wanna talk about?"

"Well, tell me about yourself."

"Huh? You-you mean like where I came from, or somethin'?"

"Well, yes. That's a start."

He stared at the wall, not wanting to talk about himself. He decided he would keep it as vague as possible and hope she would be satisfied. "I, uh, came from New York and, uh, Jason McGuire brought me here." He looked down at his shoes, not daring to look at her.

"Ok, do you still have family there?"

"Nah, n-no one."

"Oh, that's too bad. I miss my Pop so much - and Joe. I can't imagine not having them in my life." She focused for a moment on Pop, smoking his favorite pipe. Then on Joe, his dark hair that always stayed in place. He was movie-star handsome, with his perfectly chiseled face and perfect voice. She wondered if he had given up hope yet on finding her.

"Yeah, I wouldn't know about that stuff. I ain't got nobody." He shifted his gaze up to the wall again, then back down.

Maggie decided to change the subject. Remembering Pop and Joe just made her feel sad and hopeless. "So, you and Jason were good friends?"

"If you can call it that. We were p-partners and I, uh," he paused to take a deep breath, "ain't so p-proud of some of the things we did." Willie thought of Jason, the cold-hearted Irish bastard that couldn't resist swindling rich women. He helped him out on a few of his jobs, but Willie's specialty was fancy jewels, liquor, and loose women, not to mention many barroom brawls. It seemed a lifetime ago. He realized that there was no comparison to the heinous tasks Barnabas made him do. He started to shiver when he thought of what they did to Jason, burying him in the mausoleum...

"You weren't always this nervous, Willie. Is it because of Barnabas, or do I make you nervous?"

"W-why do you think I'm n-nervous?"

Maggie smiled, "Well, I couldn't help but notice your stutter." She realized that he had become uncomfortable when he grabbed his knees, forcing his knuckles to turn white. "Please don't be self-conscious about it - I used to stutter, too." Maggie gently placed her hand on top of his. He relaxed his grip just slightly. "I just wanted to make sure I wasn't making you uncomfortable."

He quickly glanced at her, then looked back down at the floor. "It ain't you. I-I just don't like thinkin' about certain things."

"Willie, tell me why Barnabas has such power over you."

Willie, still looking at his shoes, brushed his hand through his sandy blond hair and let out a sigh. Looking up at the ceiling, he closed his eyes and slowly extended his arm.

Maggie began to touch the two marks on his arm, then he immediately put his hand over them and stood up quickly. "Do they hurt?"

"Sometimes."

She stood up next to him and studied his profile. There was a small bruise on his cheek. "How did you get that bruise on your face?"

He reached up to touch the bruise, his hand shaking. "I got in trouble."

Maggie gasped. She suddenly had a vision of Barnabas striking him with his cane. "Barnabas hit you?"

His breath began to quicken and he became even more nervous. "L-look, I gotta go. Barnabas has a way of knowin' things and he'll kill me if he finds out I've been talkin' to ya."

"No, Willie! Please don't leave me!" She instinctively put her arms around him, and he froze. She enjoyed feeling the closeness of another human being. It felt like an eternity since she had embraced someone. She noticed that his muscles tensed up as she held tight to him.

"Oh, Maggie. What are ya doin'?" He gently pried her arms loose, and turned to look at her. Their eyes locked and he couldn't break away from her captivating brown eyes.

She hadn't realized how beautiful his blue-gray eyes were - so mysterious, but sad. She started to feel sympathy for this man she barely knew and began to realize that he was a prisoner, just like she was. "I never noticed how handsome you are, Willie."

"Huh?" Willie responded, shocked, yet pleased, to hear her say that to him. "Y-you think I'm handsome?"

"Yes, I do. You didn't make it very easy to notice with the way you used to behave, so mean and reckless..." Maggie started to move her arms up towards his shoulders, but he grabbed her hands, preventing them from reaching their destination.

"You're just pretendin' to be nice to me because you want me to get ya outta here! I ain't stupid, you know." He dropped her hands a little more roughly than he planned. Upon seeing her hurt reaction, he quietly said, "I-I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to..." Her gaze held him captive.

A single tear fell from her eye. He couldn't help it - his hand went to touch her cheek and he brushed his thumb gently to wipe away the tear. Her skin was soft, like velvet.

Maggie closed her eyes at his touch. It was so gentle and tender. She placed her hand over his, which still held to her blushing cheek. Her eyes were forced open when he suddenly removed his hand.

"I gotta go now." He quickly left the cell and marched upstairs. "_What was I thinking_?" "Damn it!" he muttered under his breath.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

"_How could you, Willie?" _Maggie thought to herself, angry at the young man for making her experience genuine tenderness for the first time in weeks, then abruptly taking it away from her. She sat down in front of her oatmeal and picked at it. She took a small bite - it tasted better than it ever had before. _"I always eat when I'm upset - that must be why it actually tastes good." _She downed the whole bowl, then laid upon her cot, thinking to herself. Having experienced another restless night of Barnabas visiting her and torturing her with Josette's music box, she fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of escape from this horrible reality.

The sound of the door lock popping open awoke Maggie from her slumber. She quickly sat up and saw Willie trying to drop off her lunch tray without being noticed. "I need a favor, Willie." He stopped in his tracks, with his back to her.

"I-I can't talk to ya."

"Please listen to me! How would you like to be stuck in a scratchy potato sack all day, every day and not get the luxury of a bath or shower?"

Willie turned his head slightly. "I ain't supposed ta give you anything unless Barnabas says so." He began to take a step towards the door.

Maggie shouted at him. "You listen to me, Willie Loomis: you owe me!"

Willie turned around with an incredulous look on his face. "What are ya talkin' about? I don't owe you nothin'!"

"How many times are you going to be cruel to me? This morning, all the times I asked for your help, that night at the Blue Whale - you think I've forgotten how you treated me?"

The expression on Willie's face went from anger to remorse in a matter of seconds. He looked down at the floor and muttered, "that was a long time ago. I was drunk."

"Yes, it was, but I haven't forgotten it. So, are you going to grant my request?"

He thought it over for a moment. "I'll be back." He left and returned in a matter of minutes. "I fixed a bath for ya. Come on." Maggie smiled and eagerly walked through the doorway. Willie held tight to her arm so she wouldn't escape. Once they reached the bathroom, Maggie entered and started to close the door. Willie stopped it before it could close all the way. "I'm sorry about that night. I'm sorry about a lotta things." He couldn't look her in the eye with all the shame he felt, thinking about the way he came on to her, talking to her like she was a cheap floozie when he had no idea who she was. He closed the door and stood outside, for when she needed him. He hoped she liked the bathrobe and undergarments he had chosen for her. They were from Josette's room.

The scent of jasmine filled Maggie's senses as she quickly undressed and stepped into the tub of hot water. It was heaven. She relaxed and tried her best to enjoy the moment. Maggie worked hard to push the thoughts of her impending doom from her mind so she could keep her sanity. Then, she remembered that she needed to focus on Willie. He was her only way out. "Willie? Could you come here - I need you."

"W-what do ya need?"

"I would like for you to scrub my back."

Willie panicked. "C-can't ya do it yourself?"

"Please."

He decided to treat this like one of Barnabas's chores so he wouldn't have to think about what he was doing. Slowly opening the door, Willie looked at the floor and focused on the wash cloth she handed to him. He noticed she had her knees drawn up to her chest, hiding her voluptuous figure. He quickly shifted his glance to her back. He started to scrub a little too hard in his attempt to get out of there as quick as he could. After her objection to his harsh scrubbing, he eased up on the pressure and slowed a bit. His finger grazed the smoothness of her neck as he washed her and he felt her quiver ever so slightly. "You, uh, got a bruise right here."

"There's a spring that's loose in the cot," Maggie replied barely above a whisper.

"Oh. I, uh, better get that fixed for ya." He felt bad that she had to sleep on that uncomfortable cot. "_Damn Barnabas_," he thought to himself. After about a minute, he handed her the wash cloth and rose to leave.

"Thank you, Willie." She called after him as he left. She thought about him touching her and realized that it felt nice. As she continued her bath, thoughts of Willie's hands on her body invaded her mind, catching her off guard. _"Maggie, you're just lonely," _she muttered to herself. Once she finished, she stood up and dried off. Putting on the undergarments and bathrobe he had left for her, she quietly opened the door. She turned to look at Willie, who was leaning against the wall next to the door. Their eyes locked once again. His handsome face held a look of desire that she had never seen before. She enjoyed having that effect on him. "Willie, which one is your room?"

Willie's expression immediately changed to embarrassment. Did she know what kind of thoughts were running through his mind while she was bathing? She looked so sexy in that bathrobe, with her damp hair clinging to her face in soft waves. "W-why d-do you wanna know?"

Maggie gently smiled. "I was just curious. May I see it?"

"W-what do you wanna see it for? It's just a room. I don't have much stuff."

"Please. May I see it?"

He found that he couldn't say no to her. "Okay." He led her into his room and watched her look around.

"Wow, you were right. Why don't you have very much?"

"B-Barnabas always has work for me to do, an' I don't get out much to buy anything."

At the sound of his name, Maggie suddenly remembered that she was awaiting a death sentence. "Willie, when am I going to die?"

Willie replied, "Like I told ya - be his Josette and you won't hafta die, at least, not right away."

"I just can't, Willie. I've tried. I want to be me!" She began to cry.

"Damn it, Maggie, I told ya. I can't stand it when you cry." Before he could say another word, she stepped into his embrace and all he could do was put his arms around her, savoring the scent of her freshly washed hair.

"You never told me that," she replied, looking up at him. They stared at each other in silence for what seemed an eternity. Their lips inches apart, she whispered, "do you like me, Willie?" She was terrified of the truth, but she had to know.

Willie continued to stare into her eyes for a brief moment. "_I'm a dead man if I give in right now, but she's right here and I may never get this chance again."_ His desire for her overtook his fear of Barnabas and he pressed his lips against hers, delivering a powerful and searing kiss.

Maggie was pleasantly surprised as he kissed her with a fervor that she didn't expect. She found herself melting into his arms as she enjoyed his lips on hers. She held tight to him as the reality of her situation melted away and she began to feel her body's desires take over. As much as he had changed from an arrogant, womanizing jerk to a subservient handyman, she realized at that moment that he hadn't completely lost his way with women. Her body tingled all over with anticipation, wanting more from him as each second passed.

Willie gently pulled away from their kiss, looked deep into her eyes, and whispered, "Yeah, I like you. I like you a lot." He swallowed hard, and kissed her again. He reveled in the feel of her fingers entwining his hair. Gently pushing her against the wall, Willie touched her thigh, pushing away the bathrobe to reveal her bare skin. He grabbed her leg, pulling it against his hip, bringing her even closer to him, feeling the warmth of her lower region.

Maggie had never felt such passion for anyone before. She grew more and more excited as she felt his growing need for her pressing between her thighs. The intensity of her need was so strong that she immediately realized what she wanted. "Please, I need you so much," she managed between their heated kisses as she grabbed his hand and placed it inside her bathrobe to touch her bare breast .

He slowed down, then stopped and looked at her. "You sure you want this? You sure its me you want?"

Maggie looked at him longingly. "Yes! I want this! I want you." She covered his face and neck with kisses, waiting anxiously for him to take her to his bed. She quickly noticed that his passion was cooling. "What's wrong?"

Willie released her leg, then stepped back, looking down at the floor. "I-I'm sorry, Maggie. I just can't do this to ya." _"What am I saying? I want this girl more than any other girl I've ever been with." _

"Do what? I don't understand." Maggie felt crushed.

Willie took a deep breath, having difficulty looking at her in that bathrobe. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "It's been a long time since I've been with anyone and I, uh, I don't wanna take advantage of you just because you think you wanna sleep with me."

Maggie was shocked and disappointed, which quickly tuned to anger. "You're joking, right? This coming from the biggest cad in Collinsport!"

Willie looked up at the ceiling, taking a deep breath. "Look, you ain't the kind of girl I want to have a one-night stand with. You deserve better." He watched Maggie's disappointment slowly turn to embarrassment as she adjusted her bathrobe. He didn't want her to feel that way. He looked at her firmly. "I need to take ya back to your cell now."

"No! I don't want to go back there!" Maggie started to back away from the bedroom door. Willie grabbed her wrist.

"You hafta! "

"Like hell I do! Why are you doing this! Please, let me stay up here!"

"He'll kill me, and you, don't ya get it! I gotta do what he says!"

"Damn you, Willie! Haven't I been through enough humiliation?" Maggie shouted, furious at him.

"Maggie, gimme a break! Don't think that for one second I didn't want to throw you down on that bed right there and screw you all night long! I want you so bad that I can't stand it!" He started pacing with his hands on his hips, trying to avoid her intense gaze.

Maggie thought hard about what he was saying. She realized that he was exhibiting extreme self-control, which did not come easily for him. "I'm sorry, Willie." He stepped in front of her and held out his hand. Maggie decided not to struggle and accepted defeat by putting her hand in his. She began her walk down the stairs with Willie leading the way.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

The walk back down to the cell felt like an eternity. She thought about what it felt like to be in his arms. She remembered their kisses, the feeling of his strong hands on her body, and felt her cheeks turn hot. She wondered why she had never experienced this kind of sexual tension with Joe. She still loved Joe, however, Maggie couldn't deny this intense attraction to Willie.

"Willie?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Please stay with me - at least until Barnabas wakes up."

"I-I can't. I gotta finish my chores." He opened the cell door and gently pushed her towards the open room. "Here, don't forget to change back into this." He tossed her black wool gown on to her cot. "I'll pick up your bathrobe when I bring your dinner."

Maggie's heart sank as he turned to leave. "Wait!" He stopped and lowered his head. "Am I just supposed to forget what just happened between us? You said that you liked me!" The resulting silence was deafening.

"It don't matter what I said earlier. Just forget it."

"I won't forget it! Look at me!" She forced him to turn around and face her. He avoided looking directly at her at first, then met her eyes with a defeated and frustrated expression. "You made me feel something I've never felt before. Do you understand? I actually felt alive in this awful place! Please don't take that away from me. Don't act like it meant nothing. That would kill me."

His heart ached at the pained expression on her face. He gently took her hand and kissed it. Staring down at it, he said quietly, "It meant somethin' to me. We're both trapped in this living hell and there's nothin' I can do about it." His voice trembled as he fought off tears.

"If you really do care about me, please help me. Get me out of this place!"

Willie's frustration caused him to shout. "How many times do I hafta tell ya - he won't let me! I think about helpin' ya a hundred times a day and I can hear his voice in my head. My arm starts throbbin'. Do you think I can stand the thought of watchin' you die?" He grabbed her arms, meeting her intense gaze. "I want you to pretend to be Josette. For your own sake and for mine. Just pretend."

"Then what? Let him turn me into a horrible creature like him? I won't do it! Either way, I'll die." She broke free of his grip and began to pace. "Willie, if you can't set me free, and you can't even make love to me, then I would rather you kill me. I don't want to go on like this."

Willie couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're talkin' crazy, Maggie. Just stop it. I don't wanna hear any more."

"Then, give me something to end this. Pills, poison, anything!"

He grabbed her again, gently shaking her. "Stop it! I won't listen to any more of this nonsense!" She began to tremble. He pulled her close and held tight. He didn't want to imagine a world without her in it - that beautiful girl with the fiercely independent spirit. He had to do something. "_To hell with Barnabas_ - _I can't let her die." _

She felt her heartbeat increase and panic set in as she started hyperventilating. Visions of Barnabas draining the life out of her, the coffin that he forced Willie to make for her, the thought of walking around aimlessly in a death shroud with him for eternity was too much. Maggie's knees began to buckle as the hopelessness of her world took control of her body. "Willie...I can't stand up anymore..." Everything went black as she heard her name being called, as if in a tunnel.

"No, Maggie! Wake up!" Willie panicked as Maggie fell limp in his arms. He carried her over to the cot and felt her forehead. She felt very warm. He stood up, running his hand through his hair, frantically trying to decide what to do. She needed to be somewhere comfortable. He scooped her up and began his ascent up the long staircase. She faded into consciousness for a brief moment, mumbling his name in her fevered state. "I'm here, Maggie. I'm gonna take care of ya."

"Willie, what is she doing back in Josette's room?" demanded Barnabas, with obvious displeasure. The vampire had swept into the room with his usual commanding presence. Willie imagined Barnabas rising from his coffin and going to Maggie's cell to find her gone. As worried as he was about Maggie, Willie didn't feel as afraid of Barnabas as he normally would have.

"Sh-she's sick, Barnabas. Real sick. I-I don't know what to do. She passed out in her cell. She's got a fever." He placed his hand over the cold compress he placed on her forehead. Maggie could hear the conversation going on around her, but could not force her eyes to open. "Willie?" she managed barely above a whisper.

Willie immediately turned his attention to his patient. "Yeah, I'm here. You need somethin'?"

"Water," she slowly whispered. She listened as Willie went over to the table and poured a glass of water for her. He quickly brought it back and gently helped her sit up to drink.

"Maggie, if this is some sort of trick your playing, then I warn you that it will be your last!" spat Barnabas.

"S-she's not makin' this up, Barnabas. Please! Let me take care of her!"

Barnabas locked his gaze upon Willie, a new realization evident in his dark eyes. "You are in love with her, aren't you?"

Willie's anguish could not be hidden from Barnabas. He anxiously swallowed, then nodded. "Y-yeah, I am." He couldn't deny it any longer.

Barnabas raised an eyebrow, then looked down. "I see. Well, we have a problem, don't we? Perhaps the best solution is for me to go ahead and kill you both!" He began to step towards Willie. Then, there was a knock at the front door. They both froze. Willie began to move towards the bedroom doorway, but Barnabas stopped him. "No, I will see who it is. I'll be back to deal with you."

Willie watched from the doorway as Barnabas descended the staircase and answered the door. It was Vicky Winters. "Hello, Barnabas! I'm so glad you're at home."

"Miss Winters, what a pleasant surprise. Please, come in." He led her into the sitting room. He strained to listen to what they were saying, but was distracted when he heard Maggie's gentle cry. He quietly closed the bedroom door, then went to her. "Shhh. You gotta be quiet." He gently kissed her forehead.

Maggie murmured, "Willie?"

"I'm right here." He held her hand and she squeezed it in return. "I promise. I ain't gonna let anything happen to ya."

A smile came over her face and she settled into a peaceful sleep. Willie realized that he had to come up with a plan to get her out of here. He went over to the chair and sat down to think.

About thirty minutes later, Barnabas came back into the room. "Okay, Willie. We need to talk." Willie jumped up to face him, desperately trying to hide his fear.

"W-what did Vicky want?"

Barnabas smiled. "Miss Winters came to see me. She wanted to talk about her passion for the past. It was a very enjoyable visit. I now believe that I have the wrong Josette. Miss Winters is the Josette I have been searching for. Not Miss Evans."

Willie couldn't help but feel relieved. "That's good! So, you're gonna let Maggie go now, right?"

The look in Barnabas's eyes frightened Willie. He knew what that look meant. "I-I'm s-sorry, Barnabas. I can't let you kill her."

"Just how are you going to stop me?" He began stepping towards Willie again.

Willie held up his hand to Barnabas's chest. "P-please! Just let me take her away from here. I'll make sure that no one knows it was you that kidnapped her. Then, you can be free to go after Vicky."

Barnabas took a deep breath. "I cannot take that chance, Willie. Nothing must jeopardize my pursuit of Miss Winters. I cannot allow you to leave with her."

"J-just for a few days, please! Then, I'll bring her back to her father. I'll tell everyone that I rescued her from her kidnapper and that he's dead. I'll tell 'em that it was an old acquaintance of mine that tracked me down to Collinsport, and he had spotted Maggie and took her. They'll never know it was you. I'll come back and keep workin' for you and I'll help you with Vicky, I promise."

"I don't trust you, Willie. Especially knowing how you feel about Miss Evans, your feelings will betray you and you will try to turn against me."

"You know that's impossible! Look at this!" he extended his arm and pointed to the bite marks. "This won't let me betray you! I hafta protect you no matter what. Please, look at her, Barnabas! She ain't doin' so good. Let me take care of her!"

"That's enough, Willie! I'm tired of your groveling." Willie watched Barnabas pace around the room, apparently contemplating what he had said.

"Barnabas, would you have let anyone kill Josette?"

He whipped around to face Willie. "Of course not! I loved Josette!"

"Then you hafta understand why I can't let you kill Maggie." Willie saw a brief flash of humanity cross Barnabas's face as he saw him turn to look at Maggie."

Barnabas drew a deep breath. "Willie, I will allow you to stay here with her for now. I'll be back in a little while." He quietly left the room and shut the door.

Willie laid down next to Maggie, holding her hand in his. She quietly moaned, then slowly opened her eyes.

"You didn't leave me."

"Nah, I didn't leave ya." He brushed her bangs off her forehead tenderly. "I'm stayin' as long as you want me to." He closed his eyes and they both fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

The sun streamed into the antique bedroom, startling Willie awake. He turned to face Maggie. Her fever had broke and she seemed to be sleeping soundly. He smiled to himself, so relieved that she was okay. Then, the realization that Barnabas allowed them to sleep peacefully all night long gave him a sudden surge of joy. He still had some humanity left. Willie brushed her long hair off her cheek, then stroked it with his finger. She looked so peaceful - so angelic. "Maggie? The sun's up. Can you open those gorgeous eyes for me?" he whispered.

She took a deep breath and stretched. In between yawns, she spoke. "What time is it?"

"It's about 7am."

Maggie opened her eyes and saw Willie's handsome features slowly come into focus. She smiled and said, "You're still here. You didn't leave me." She reached for his hand and held it tight.

"You had me scared ta death! You spiked a fever."

Her expression changed to confusion. "I did?"

He nodded. "Yeah, y-you passed out in my arms."

She looked down at her bedspread, comprehending the events of the previous day. "Did Barnabas punish you for letting me stay here?" Maggie couldn't help but worry that Barnabas may have hit him again. She placed her fingers on his face, gently turning it to look for any new wounds. He took her fingers away and held them in his hand.

Willie shook his head. "Nah. He's givin' us a chance to escape. I'm gettin' you outta here today."

"What? How?" she began to get excited. "When?"

"Hold on, there's some things we hafta do first."

She calmed down and grabbed Willie into her embrace. She held tightly to his small, but strong frame. Maggie reached her hand up, weaving her fingers through his hair. Her lips found his and she gently kissed him. "Thank you for taking care of me. I don't know how you convinced him to let me go, but I'll do whatever you want me to do. I trust you completely!"

His heart felt like it could take flight at the sound of her grateful words. "Y-you do?"

Maggie nodded in reply. "I hope you know how grateful I am." She pressed her lips on his again, feeling the passion rise in her body. She felt around for his hand, then placed it on the top button of her bathrobe.

Willie removed his hand from the button and replied, "What did that fever do to ya, huh?"

Maggie sighed. "I don't know. I just want to be close to you."

"Look, I meant what I said before. You're not the one-night stand kinda girl, and, it ain't like you're in love with me."

"How do you know that? I do have feelings for you!" She looked up at him anxiously.

"It doesn't matter. We need to get ready to get outta here. Hurry up and get dressed." He turned away from her intense gaze. Noticing the time, Willie hurriedly left the room and headed for the basement so he could grab some of the Collins family jewels. They were going to need money for their escape. He then rushed to his room and packed his suitcase.

Maggie felt slightly confused as the door closed behind Willie. She knew that he had been with many women in the past, but couldn't understand why he was restraining himself so much with her. So, shifting her thoughts to their escape, she thought about how good it was going to be to get out of this old mansion. She attempted to scoot out of bed, but quickly realized that she was still weak and decided to slow down. Maggie looked around the room, noticing her clothes draped over a chair. She decided to attempt another maneuver to get out of bed. Carefully, Maggie got to her feet and wobbled to the chair and slowly got dressed. The door clicked open and she watched Willie bring in his suitcase.

"We're goin' to Boston."

Maggie brightened with the realization that she was not only getting away from Barnabas, but going far away from Barnabas. She couldn't help but notice that Willie seemed worried.

"So, what's your plan?" She listened intently as he explained to her what he had told Barnabas, leaving out the part about Vicky.

"So, Barnabas is going to get off scot-free? He's not going to be punished for what he has done to me? Or to you?" She said angrily.

"Maggie, think about it. He ain't alive. He can't die! No cop is gonna be able to arrest him!"

"What if he tries to kill you when you come back?"

"I don't think he will. He wouldn't have left us alone last night if he didn't think this would work. I'll be busy helpin' him with his plans for his new Josette. As long as he has another Josette to focus on, he won't risk comin' after you ."

"Do you mean, he's going to kidnap some other innocent girl and put her through what he put me through?" She asked incredulously.

"Nah, it's gonna be different this time. You're gonna hafta trust me. She's gonna want to be with him. Like I said before, he won't risk takin' you again even if he does decide to kill me. He knows that you can't ever be Josette." He couldn't bring himself to tell her that Vicky was to be his new Josette, since he knew they were good friends.

The thought of Barnabas harming Willie brought tears to Maggie's eyes. "Willie, please don't talk about you dying."

"Don'tcha think there are times that I wish for death so I wouldn't hafta hear his voice in my head anymore? Or do the disgustin' things he makes me do?"

"Stop! I don't want to talk about it anymore!" Maggie stood up and pulled Willie into her arms. "I'll do whatever you want. I just want to leave here."

"Okay, okay. Soon." He whispered into her ear.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

It was almost time to leave. While Willie went into town to cash in the jewels, Maggie fashioned her hair into an updo that she normally didn't wear and put on a pair of dark sunglasses that Willie gave her. She hoped that she wouldn't be recognized and waited anxiously for their departure. Willie had a hat and dark sunglasses on as he opened the front door and escorted her out to his truck. The long drive to the airport was quiet, as both were deep in thought about what would happen next. She reached over and held his hand. He squeezed it in return, giving her all the comfort and reassurance she needed. Maggie thought about how safe Willie made her feel, which caused her to think about Joe. _"What am I going to do about him?"_

"Thank you, Mr. Smith. Please begin boarding," stated the airline worker. Willie and Maggie settled themselves on the plane. "I haven't flown since I was a little girl," whispered Maggie. "I'm nervous."

"Me an' Jason flew lots of times. There's nothin' to be nervous for," he replied, taking her hand in his. He thought about his many adventures with Jason, which usually resulted in them running away before they could be caught. He wanted this time to be different. He squeezed her hand as the airplane took off and before they knew it, they landed in Boston. After gathering their luggage and hailing a taxi, Willie and Maggie arrived at a roadside motel.

Once they were checked into their motel room, Maggie asked, "So, how long do we have to stay here?"

"The riskiest part is over. We got away from Collinsport without being noticed. Now, we wait, as long as Barnabas leaves us alone, then I take you back home." Willie thought hard about what he would feel like, watching Maggie run into Joe's arms. He hoped he would have the courage to let her go. What could he offer her that Joe couldn't? Nothing. He knew he was nothing more than a servant and that was all he would ever be. Barnabas would always be Willie's first concern. His blood was in his veins and that would never change. He couldn't give Maggie the life she deserved.

Maggie sat on the bed, thinking about what it will be like to go home. She also thought about Joe. They had talked about the possibility of marriage before, but everything felt different now. She was no longer confident that he could make her happy. In all the many months she had been seeing Joe, he never made her feel the sexual intensity that Willie did in the short time she had spent with him. Willie also showed her kindness, mercy, and real dedication. She realized at that moment that she didn't like the idea of him not being in her life anymore, and that she had fallen in love with him. He had taken risks to save her life. He must love her, too. She had to know for sure. Willie sat down next to her on the bed.

"So, we're looking at 2-3 days here, at least?" Maggie asked.

"Somethin' like that."

"Then, I'll be home."

Tears began to form in Maggie's eyes as Willie turned to her. "Why you cryin'? You're goin' home to your Pop, and Joe. Aren't you happy? Don't you remember? I hate it when you cry." He gently smiled at her as he realized how much he was going to miss her. Willie realized that this would be his only chance to tell her how he was feeling, whether she felt the same or not. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and gently pulled her closer. Summoning up his courage, he quitely said to her, "I want you to know that I'm in love with you, Maggie Evans."

It was what she had longed to hear. Maggie quickly kissed him as passionately as she could. It didn't make sense to her, but she knew how she felt. When she pulled back, she replied, "I'm in love with you, too." She watched his expression change from uncertainty to pure exhilaration.

"Y-you mean it? Really?"

She happily laughed, "Yes! I really mean it! You risked your life for me more than once. You took care of me when I was sick. How could I not love you? You have been wonderful to me and I don't ever want to be without you."

Willie had never felt so much joy in his whole life. Looking into her eyes, he realized she was genuine. He embraced her, then kissed her as passionately as she had kissed him. "You know, Miss Evans, I don't deserve you."

Maggie replied, "Don't be silly! I'm no perfect angel, you know!"

"I've done some really bad things. I just don't want you to have any doubts about me."

"After everything you've done for me, I feel like I'm the one that doesn't deserve you."

No matter what happened in the next few days, Willie was determined to enjoy his brief time with the woman he loved and who, incredibly, loved him back. He resumed kissing her sensual mouth, feeling the passion rise in him.

Maggie pulled Willie on top of her as they continued to kiss. The passion that had been building between them culminated and she was convinced that he couldn't turn her down this time. "Will you make love to me now?" she asked.

"A-are you sure? I-I mean, we can wait," he stammered, wanting her so much, but couldn't stand the idea of her regretting anything.

"I'm sure. You are the only man I want - that I'll ever want," she said, caressing his hair lovingly. She kissed him again, running her hand down to the top of his jeans, then pulling his lower body closer to hers.

He looked deep into her eyes as they ceased their heated kisses for a brief moment. His hand went to the top button of her blouse, and began unbuttoning slowly, watching for any signs that she may be uncomfortable. He continued until he reached the last one. Then, he slowly pushed the blouse off one shoulder, planting kisses along her collarbone and touching her lacy bra.

Raising her body slightly, she removed her blouse, then went to work on his shirt, doing the same until it came off. The sight of his bare chest excited her beyond her expectations. His physique was exquisite - not too muscular, yet not too unfit. Then, she noticed the scars on his sides. She gasped and covered her mouth.

"What's the matter?"

"Oh, Willie!" She got up and examined his back. "My God!" Running her fingers over the numerous scars and wounds, the tears welled up in her eyes. "Barnabas did all this?"

"N-no, d-don't look at 'em." He brought her back around to face him. Wiping away her tears with his thumbs, he whispered, "they don't hurt anymore. Just forget what you saw."

She took his face in her hands. "You've had so much pain. I want to take it away." She placed her lips on his. Her hands went to work on his jeans, pushing them off his hips with his help.

Willie pulled her skirt down her legs, then tossed it aside, revealing her lacy panties. The sight of her beautiful body excited him more than he ever imagined. He traced kisses all over her bare tummy and she moaned with pleasure. He laid back on top of her, his need so intense that he felt as if he would burst.

Maggie could feel his powerful need between her legs. She pushed off his underwear with his help, releasing his male member to her delight. "Please!" she begged him as she moved his hands to her panties, helping him push them down and off her hips. She raised up enough to take off her bra and tossed it into the pile next to the bed.

His excitement was more than he could bear as she revealed her perfect breasts to him. He cupped them and planted searing kisses all over them, sucking on each nipple, bringing her incredible pleasure. He enjoyed hearing her moans as he drove her to the brink before positioning himself to enter her.

The area between her legs was aching to be filled and, noticing his slight hesitation to enter her, she grabbed his hips and pulled him forward, giving him the sign to proceed.

He plunged into her, savoring the feel of her wetness for him, then suddenly realized that she was probably a virgin as she winced slightly. He started to panic. "Oh, my god, Maggie. I-I shoulda asked if you were still a..."

"Willie, it's okay," she panted, "Don't stop. I'm begging you. Please don't stop."

"I-I shoulda asked about protection, I-I'm so sorry..."

"It doesn't matter. I love you. I want this no matter what. Please!"

He watched the intense pleasure on her face as he began thrusting, then increased his speed. He forced his concerns out of his mind and, in time, his release was imminent. "Maggie, I'm gonna come." He tensed up as he spilled his seed into her.

Maggie felt him come, enjoying the sensation of his body's reaction. She focused on her own pleasure, and realized that her own release was close, but just out of reach. Within seconds, Willie had his finger on her clit, bringing her to orgasm in a matter of minutes. She screamed out as she reveled in the waves of pleasure consuming her body. She held tightly to him, enjoying the feelings that she was experiencing for the first time.

Willie gently rolled off her, then onto his back next to her. She moved toward him, cuddling next to his warm body. He had never felt like this after a sexual encounter. He wrapped his arms around her and realized that he was truly happy for the first time in his life. "I never thought you would feel anything for me," he whispered.

Kissing his cheek, Maggie whispered, "I'm so glad I waited for you. It was incredible." She closed her eyes and fell asleep in his arms, content and satisfied.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

"Where do you wanna go tonight?" Willie asked just as Maggie opened the door and came out of the bathroom, having taken a shower and put on some fresh clothes and makeup. He studied the stunning woman that stood before him, still having trouble believing that she was his, at least for now. He stood up from his seat on the edge of the bed. Stopping right in front of her, he said seductively, "Wow, you are one hot chick."

Maggie giggled. "Well, let's give credit where credit is due. This is one hot little dress you picked out for me." She looked down and admired the little red dress she wore. "When did you have time to pick out these clothes?"

"I, uh, snuck into Collinwood and raided Carolyn's closet," Willie replied.

Maggie laughed. "Well, that explains it. Oh, don't worry, I'm not mad! I applaud your resourcefulness!"

Willie was relieved. "I better take a shower, too." As he stepped into the bathroom, Maggie caught him around the waist.

"Don't be too long," she whispered, kissing him.

He smiled. "Whatever you say."

Maggie heard the shower turn on. She decided to turn on the television set. It was almost time for the evening news to be over. "...and now for our final news story of the night, the search still goes on for a missing waitress from Collinsport. Maggie Evans was last seen almost 2 weeks ago about half a mile from her home. Police still have very little to go on in the case. Maggie's father, Sam Evans, released this statement today. 'We haven't given up hope that Maggie is still alive somewhere out there. Whoever has taken her, please return her to her father and her fiancée. We love her and miss her. Thank you.' "If you have any information that will help police locate this missing woman, please contact local police. Here is a recent photo of the young woman. Thank you and good night." Maggie's heart sank as she watched her Pop, looking as if he had aged at least 10 years. Joe stood by his side, looking so exhausted. "_Oh, Joe, I'm so sorry." _She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror above the dresser. Anyone who saw her photo on the news would recognize her. Sitting down on the bed, she thought of her time in the cell, remembering her feelings of terror that she would die at the hands of Barnabas and never see her family again. She eagerly pushed those memories aside, not wanting to think about going home and having to lie to everyone about where she had been, and, worse yet, having to let Willie go back to that horrible mansion as if nothing had happened. She heard the shower go off, then watched Willie come out of the bathroom a minute later, wearing only a towel.

"What's the matter?" he could see the look of concern on her face.

"They showed my picture on the news, Willie. Someone is going to notice me. Maybe I should just stay put and not go anywhere. You can bring me some dinner."

He shook his head. "Nah, you've been locked up for a long time. You deserve at least one night on the town. Why don't you go without your makeup?"

"Don't you think I look prettier with makeup?"

"Well, I fell in love with you without makeup. So, what does that tell ya?"

She smiled. "Okay, the makeup's coming off." She went into the bathroom and removed everything off her face. Noticing that her hair needed to be different, too, she grabbed some hairpins and secured her bangs off her forehead. Somehow, she felt better, as if Maggie, the victim, was locked away in a safe place, just for a while.

When she came out, Willie said, "now there's a beautiful face." He put his arm around her. "So, ya ready to go?"

"Yes! Where are we going? I am starving!"

"I know a place over by the docks that serves pretty good seafood. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful! I'll call a taxi." Maggie called for a taxi while Willie got dressed. "Do you think we have enough money?"

"We got plenty, " he responded. He thought about some of the jobs he and Jason had done. None of them had given him as much money as he had in his pocket at that moment. The thought of whisking Maggie away to Europe crossed his mind. His desire to keep her for himself gained strength as the hours passed.

"I'm worried that Barnabas is going to kidnap some innocent girl. Are you sure that he won't?"

The guilt over not telling Maggie about Vicky began to eat at him. "Yeah, I'm sure. He wouldn't risk it without makin' me help him."

"I wish you didn't have to be his slave."

"I ain't gotta say in the matter."

"I know, Willie." She decided to change the subject. "So, while we're waiting for our taxi, I want to know more about you."

He was busy buttoning his shirt, then slowed down as he thought about what he should and shouldn't tell her. "L-like what?"

"Tell me how you and Jason met."

"Maggie, I don't wanna talk about him. I just wanna forget about that part of my life."

"What did you do, murder someone?" she joked. His silence began to disturb her. "Willie?"

"Nah, we never killed anyone." He hated lying to her. Even though it was an accident and it was mostly Jason's fault, Willie still felt guilty for the young guy that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was too ashamed to tell her about it. It happened just before they left Spain, in a small town bar. Willie and Jason were drunk, playing poker with a couple of small-time crooks, when one of them lost their temper and accused them of cheating, which Jason was guilty of. One thing led to another and, in the midst of the barroom brawl, Willie swung at one of the crooks, but missed and hit the young guy that had walked in, causing him to smash through the window, killing him. They ran, hopping on the next boat to America.

"I wonder what happened to him. He's probably in Europe somewhere, spending all of the money Mrs. Stoddard gave him to get out of town."

Maggie's voice brought Willie's thoughts back to the present. The truth about Jason was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her that Jason was dead and he helped cover it up, not to mention the others that Barnabas had killed. She would hate him if she found out, wouldn't she? He decided he wasn't ready to take that chance. Before he could speak another word, the taxi arrived and he was relieved. He escorted her out the door and into the taxi.

The dockside restaurant smelled delicious as they were seated next to a beautiful oceanfront view. The light from a nearby lighthouse illuminated the waves, creating a surreal glow. Maggie was entranced. She looked over at Willie, who was staring at her. She felt herself blush. The waiter came over and took their orders. He then brought out a bottle of wine and poured each of them a glass.

"I think we have a lot to celebrate," Maggie said as she raised her glass.

"Here's to you and your freedom," Willie replied, doing the same.

"Here's to my hero, who I am madly in love with!" They clinked their glasses and drank. Then, the oddest sensation came over her and she began to shiver. "Did you feel that?"

Willie looked concerned, "What? What is it?"

"I don't know. It felt like something cold was around me. It felt the same as when He would come near the cell."

He looked around, convinced that Barnabas wouldn't risk traveling too far from his coffin. "He ain't here, I promise."

She then realized another possibility. She looked directly at Willie. "Maybe it's you."

"Me? What are ya talkin' about?"

"You have his essence in your veins."

"You have it, too, remember?" He watched her touch her neck where the bite marks used to be. They had healed nicely.

Maggie realized there was a faint sensation when she touched her neck. "What do you feel when you touch your arm?" She watched his expression change from confusion to disgust.

"Every time I touch those marks, it's like an instant connection to his mind that lasts for a few seconds. I just see death."

"I wonder what would happen to us if Barnabas was destroyed," Maggie wondered aloud, still touching her neck.

"Don't say that!" demanded Willie.

"Well, why not! After all the pain he has caused me and who knows how many others! Not to mention what he's done to you!"

"I dunno what would happen to us if somethin' happened to Barnabas. We could die with him."

"Or we could be set free. Really set free."

"I don't wanna take that chance - for either of our sakes." Willie took a long sip of his wine, closing his eyes.

Maggie looked down at Willie's hand resting on the table, slightly shaking. She put her hand on his. "I'm sorry if I upset you."

He opened his eyes at the sound of her voice, then instantly calmed down. "Look, uh, why don't we talk about somethin' else."

"Okay. How about what we are going to do tomorrow? I thought maybe we could..." Maggie froze as she realized that Willie wasn't listening to her. His gaze was fixed on his arm. She looked at him and realized that he was terrified. "Willie, look at me."

The images of the Old House, then of Barnabas's eyes flooded his mind. He knew what this was. It was Barnabas's hunger, radiating through him. It felt stronger than ever before. He wondered what Barnabas was going to do without his help. He slowly looked up at Maggie.

"It's him, isn't it? Stay focused on me, Willie. Don't think about him!"

"I-I don't wanna think of him, but I can't help it. He needs me."

"I need you!"

He closed his eyes, trying hard to blot out the images. He squeezed Maggie's hand, then opened his eyes again, meeting her anxious gaze. "I-I'm s-sorry about that. I-It h-happens to m-me every n-night. It's pure hell. It's j-just never been as strong as t-this."

"Is there anything I can do?" Maggie asked, almost in tears watching him in so much anguish.

"It'll pass. I-I just h-have to wait it out." Willie focused on his breathing, trying to calm himself. He looked at Maggie and realized that she looked scared to death. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare ya."

"As long as you're okay," she replied, skeptical that he was back to normal.

The waiter brought their dinner and they calmly ate. Afterwards, they stepped out on to the dock to gaze at the ocean. Maggie put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, for now." He held her tightly, never wanting to let her go.

"I love you so much," Maggie exclaimed, "I just can't stand to see you in pain."

"Now ya know how I felt when you were locked up all that time. I hated to see ya like that. I hate myself for lettin' it go on that long."

"No, don't blame yourself. After what I saw tonight, I understand. We are going to find a way for you to be free of him."

"I wouldn't count on it. This is my punishment that I'll hafta carry for the rest of my life. It's what I deserve."

"Punishment for what? Punishment for your past? Jason was behind a lot of it, wasn't he?"

"It wasn't all Jason. I knew what I was doin'. Remember that fight I had with Burke Devlin? Remember all those mean things I said to you, and Carolyn, and..."

"Well, whatever you've done in the past doesn't mean you deserve this!" She held his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. "I don't care what you've done. I know that you regret your past. We are going to move forward together. I am not going to share you with Barnabas for the rest of my life!"

"You're not gonna move forward with me. We both know you're gonna go back to Joe."

Maggie sighed. "I don't see how I can."

"You'd be better off with him."

She felt her heart break at the sound of his words. "Don't say that!"

"I know what's gonna happen. Your friends and your Pop ain't ever gonna approve of me. I ain't good enough for ya."

"They don't know you like I do, but they will! Don't ever think you're not good enough for me." She held tightly to his arm, fearful of losing him.

Willie turned to look at the ocean again. He felt the throbbing in his arm, but tried to conceal it from Maggie. "Look, uh, why don't we go back to the motel? I'm beat."

Maggie nodded. "Sure, if that's what you want. But you listen to me, Willie Loomis. I am not going let you get away from me that easily!" The sparkle in her eyes made Willie smile. He put his arm around her and led her back inside so they could call a taxi.

They were dropped off at the entrance to the motel lobby. Just as they began to walk towards their room, Willie met the gaze of a man walking out the door, and both men froze. Maggie watched as the two stared at each other contemptuously.

"Loomis," he muttered.

"Bradley. What are you doin' here?" Willie replied. His free hand balled up into a fist as he thought about how much he hated this man. The last time they had met, Willie had beaten him up in a bar fight. It hadn't been the first time they had fought. He remembered Alice, the girl that they both wanted one night. Willie managed to take Alice home, but Bradley followed them and they ended up sharing punches in the alley, but not before he had managed to steal the jewelry that Willie had pickpocketed the previous night. Bradley had cost Willie in more ways than one.

"I never thought I'd see the likes of you again. Who's this lovely companion?" He sneered.

Maggie had not seen Willie like this in a long time. The vibe that she felt from him scared her. She didn't feel too comfortable with this Bradley character, either, with his dark brown eyes glaring at her. He was well dressed, a little taller than Willie, but emitted a strong sense of entitlement that disturbed her. "Willie, let's go." She gently pulled on his arm, hoping to prevent a fight.

"Sure, Honey. Let's go," he replied, never taking his eyes off Bradley.

"If you get bored with her, Loomis, I'll be around." he remarked in a snarky fashion.

Willie glanced back at him. He felt the urge to knock him out, but Maggie's gentle tugging at his arm prevented him from losing control. "Excuse us," he said, then walked away with Maggie.

They returned to their room and sat down on the bed. "Willie, who was that man?"

"Just a jerk I used ta fight with a lot. That's all." He stood up and pulled out a switch blade, setting it down on the night stand.

Maggie looked fearfully at the switch blade, then watched as Willie went over to the window, looking out at the parking lot. She realized that there were many unpleasant things in Willie's past that she knew nothing about. She was afraid to ask too many questions, yet his dark past unfortunately intrigued her. "Do you think that guy is going to bother us?"

"We're gonna leave in the mornin' and check in somewhere else. I don't trust him."

"What's the story with this guy?"

He took a deep breath and gave her a brief summary of his history with Eddie Bradley. "The funny thing is, Alice left in the middle of the night and stole the rest of my money. I woke up broke and alone."

"Why do I get the feeling that happened to you a lot?"

"I made a lotta stupid decisions. If I hadn't found Barnabas that night, I woulda continued makin' bad decisions and probably'd be dead now. I guess, in a way, Barnabas saved my life."

Slowly rising from the bed, she went over to Willie and touched his arm. "Are you grateful for the life Barnabas has given you?"

"I dunno. He keeps me alive to do his dirty work. I don't live for myself anymore, I live for him."

"The fact that you're here with me right now means that you aren't living for him."

"He's allowing me to be with you. He still controls me. I'm never gonna escape that."

Maggie sighed, feeling saddened by their conversation. "Are you ready for bed?"

He put his hand over hers. "That sounds good." He paused, then cautiously asked, "a-are you still okay with the sleeping arrangements? I can sleep in the chair, if you want."

Maggie smiled and shook her head. "I want you right by my side. Like I said, you are not getting away from me that easy." She kissed him passionately, moving his hands on to her hips. She paused to take a breath.

He looked deep into her eyes, suddenly feeling a strong desire to make love to her again. "I want you, so much." he whispered as he pulled her close to him.

"Then, I want you to have me." She guided his fingers to the back of her dress and she felt him pull the zipper down. Stepping out of her dress, she began unbuttoning his shirt, kissing his chest slowly and sensually.

He ran his fingers through her hair, finding the hairpins and gently pulling them out. As his felt his erection grow, he quickly removed his pants and the rest of his clothing, then helped remove the rest of hers. Gently backing her against the wall, he lifted her on to his hips and began thrusting into her.

She held on tightly to him, savoring the feel of his power within her. The moment he exploded inside her, Maggie began to feel the coldness again. She felt him loosening his grip on her and she stepped down on the floor and slowly backed away from him. "It's happening again, isn't it?"

Willie could feel the sweat on his brow as the pulse inside his head started pounding. He thought about his discomfort earlier at the restaurant. Then, he realized that Barnabas was on the hunt and what he was feeling was his power surge. At that moment, the pain in his arm overtook him, and his knees buckled, sending him to the floor. He screamed in pain.

"Willie!" Maggie ran over to him, cradling him in her arms as he breathed heavily. "What can I do? Please tell me!"

"There's nothin' you can do," he replied, gaining control over his breath again. "It's him. He's attackin' someone right now."

Maggie swallowed hard, remembering him hovering over her, drinking her blood. "Oh my god." They sat still for a few moments. "Could you see who it was?"

Willie simply shook his head.

She then helped Willie sit up, realizing that his pain had stopped. "I'm going to change." She grabbed her nightgown, then quickly went into the bathroom, closing the door so she could be alone. She quickly changed her clothes, then the tears flowed freely, agonizing over everything. Maggie wondered who the unlucky person was that Barnabas was with, wondered about finding a way to help Willie, wondered about Willie's past and how it could affect their future together. After a moment, she heard a knock at the door.

"Maggie, you okay?" Willie was worried. "Can I come in?"

She frantically wiped at her tears, but still couldn't make them stop. "I need a few more minutes," she called through the door.

"Look, I don't want ya to be afraid."

"I'm not afraid. It's just, everything is happening so fast and I feel like I can't control anything."

"It'll all be alright. I promise." He tried to sound sure of himself, despite having his feelings to the contrary.

Maggie opened the door and went into Willie's arms. The tears kept coming.

"Shhh. Baby, it's gonna be okay," he said softly, stroking her hair. He held her until she stopped crying. "There. That's better. You know what?" he said as he took her face in his hands, "I'm gonna take you wherever you want tomorrow. Even if you want to shop all day, I'll do whatever you want."

She started to laugh. "Well, that is very noble of you. Now, let's get some sleep."

They both laid down and quickly fell asleep, feeling exhausted from their long first day of "freedom."


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

The sound of the telephone startled Willie and Maggie awake. They both looked at each other in disbelief. Willie looked at the clock. It was 8:55. He picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"This is the front desk. You have a message from Mr. Bradley. He specifically requested that I hand this to you in person this morning."

"Alright, I'll be right there." He looked at Maggie. "I'll be right back, okay?"

"What is it?"

"It's probably nothin'. Go back to sleep." He kissed her forehead, threw on some clothes, and headed out the door.

"Sure, like I could go back to sleep right now," she mumbled to herself. She went ahead and laid back down anyway. Closing her eyes, she focused on remembering what her room looked like, the smell of Pop's pipe, the beautiful artwork that surrounded the living room, and Joe. She dreaded seeing Joe again. How could she explain to him that she had slept with another man? That she betrayed him with Willie? He wouldn't understand. He would be hurt. Then, she thought about what it would be like if she did go back to Joe and just forgot about Willie. Joe would give her a normal life. He would marry her and they would have children someday, what she thought she always wanted. Willie was going back to work for Barnabas and he wouldn't have time for her. How could she stand knowing that he was helping Barnabas ruin another girl's life? Yes, she told Willie at the docks that she wanted a relationship with him, but even she had her doubts that it could work. They couldn't have a normal relationship, not with him helping Barnabas continue with his evil deeds. Willie was right. He wouldn't be easily accepted into her circle of friends and family, but she couldn't bear the idea of not having him in her life. He had done so much for her, risked his life for her, gave her his heart, which she gladly accepted. Besides, Willie had no one on his side and she wanted to be there for him. She did love him. The sound of the door opening forced her eyes open. Willie had an unusually cheerful disposition as he sat down next to her.

"How's the most gorgeous girl in Boston this mornin'?" Maggie gave him a skeptical look.

"What was that all about?"

"It's nothin'. Don't worry." He kissed her cheek and thought about the note from Bradley. It said:

_Don't get too cozy with that pretty girl of yours. You owe me big time. I'll be glad to take her as payment. I'll be watching you._

He wrote this return note to him and placed it in an envelope filled with cash:

_She's not for sale. Take this and leave us alone._

Maggie replied, "Okay, if you say so." She was sure it had to do with Bradley, but she didn't want to think of him right now.

"So, I thought maybe we could ditch this place and go stay somewhere else. What do ya think?"

"I'm fine with that."

"I think you deserve a nicer room than this."

Maggie smiled at his thoughtfulness. She still suspected that there was something else going on, but didn't really want to know. "You are too good to me."

Willie smiled back at her. "Let's go." They packed up and called a taxi, which arrived in minutes. "You get in and I'll go check out." He ran over to the lobby and turned in the room key. Speaking to the front desk clerk, Willie extended a $50 bill and said, "If Mr. Bradley comes lookin' for us, do me a favor and don't tell him we checked out." The clerk eagerly took the money and agreed. Willie jumped in the taxi. "Take us downtown. The lady has some shoppin' to do!"

Maggie thoroughly enjoyed her shopping trip. She intentionally pushed her worries aside and secretly reveled in spending Barnabas's money. Willie quietly followed her from store to store, carrying her purchases for her. They stopped for lunch, deciding on a small and intimate café. They ate quietly, occasionally beaming at each other, happy to be a normal couple, at least for the time being. That afternoon, Willie and Maggie went sightseeing, then checked into a nearby hotel. Instead of a regular room, Willie requested a luxurious suite for them to stay in. She walked in and gasped. "This is incredible!" She walked around, admiring the large whirlpool tub, the luxurious king size bed, and the built-in fireplace. "I've never stayed in such a fancy place before. You are spoiling me, Mr. Loomis!" She threw her arms around him, kissing him happily.

"You deserve it," Willie replied, lifting her up as she kissed him. "I thought we could stay in tonight."

Maggie smiled. "I would love to!" The phone rang. Willie ran over to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Are you having a pleasant little holiday?"

Barnabas's voice made Willie shiver. "Uh, hi, Barnabas. How did ya know where to find me?"

"I always know where you are, Willie. We are connected, remember?"

"Yeah, I know."

"I expect you to return home tomorrow. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I understand."

"You will return the Evans girl to her father. I am holding you responsible for her life. If she utters a word about me to anyone, I will kill her. I have much work for you to do when you return." The line went dead. Willie looked over at Maggie, who was laying on the bed, her hair spread out on the pillow. She had looked so happy before she heard who he was talking to on the phone. He didn't want this time with her to end.

"We have to fly back first thing in the mornin'."

She felt a tear slide down her cheek. "What does he want you to do with me?"

"As long as you don't tell anyone about him, he's gonna let you live. I have to take ya back to your father."

Maggie sat up and placed her hands on Willie's shoulders. She leaned in and spoke gently into his ear. "Thank you for everything. You have been so wonderful. I love you."

He turned to her and kissed her. Putting his hand behind her neck, he gently pushed her back down on the bed, his fingers finding the top button of her blouse.

Maggie gently stopped his fingers from continuing. "Wait. I want to talk to you for a minute."

Willie immediately stopped and looked up at her. "Is somethin' wrong? I guess I'm movin' too fast?"

She looked at his beautiful eyes, so sincere and sweet. "No, I want this as much as you do. I just wanted to tell you that I'm, well, I'm afraid." She looked down, trying to sort through the many feelings she had.

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid that I'll never see you again. Afraid to see Joe again. Afraid of Barnabas. Just afraid of a lot of things."

Willie took a deep breath, taking her hand in his. "I don't want you to be scared about anythin'. No matter what happens, I promise to protect ya. I'll worship you for the rest of my life. Understand? I want you to be happy and if that means you're better off with Joe, then I won't interfere."

Maggie's tears started to roll down her face. She tried to laugh them away, wiping them quickly with her free hand. "Look at me - crying again when you hate to see me cry!"

He smiled at her. "Now, even if you go back to Joe and he's not satisfying you, you can always come see me. I'll pleasure you whenever you want," he teased.

She laughed and replied, "Well, how can I turn down an offer like that?" She pulled him to her and kissed him. "Now, I think we should take advantage of that bathtub. Would you care to join me?"

"Sure. I'll get it ready for ya." He got up and started the water, then came back and helped Maggie stand up. "Now, let's get you out of these clothes." He undressed her rather quickly, then gazed at her loveliness. "You really are beautiful, you know that?"

"You make me feel beautiful. Now, it's your turn." She undressed him, savoring the touch of his bare chest. She watched him close his eyes at her touch. Enjoying the fact he was getting aroused, Maggie boldly touched his manhood, gently stroking it. "I can't wait for you to make love to me again." She led him to the tub, turning the water off and turning the whirlpool jets on. They both stepped into the tub and immediately relaxed in all the hot bubbles. Maggie exhaled, "Oohh, this feels so good!" She leaned her head back, getting her hair wet.

Willie passionately kissed her, wanting her so much. She eagerly returned his passion, urging his hands on to her breasts. He caressed them between his fingers, then placed his lips on them, causing her to moan in response. He trailed his kisses up her neck and then her lips.

Maggie ran her fingers through the back of his hair, holding him in place. She positioned her legs around him and pulled him closer. She threw her head back in ecstasy as she felt him enter her. The feeling of the powerful whirlpool jets on her back combined with Willie's powerful thrusts made her experience the most intense sexual pleasure. It wasn't long until she felt him tense up, then come.

Willie shuddered as his orgasm racked his body with pleasure. He held tightly to Maggie, who was still grinding against him. "You're about to come. I can feel it." He slipped out of her, then immediately began fingering her to bring about her orgasm, which came quickly.

Screaming out in pleasure, Maggie held on to Willie's shoulders while the pleasure spasms took control of her body. "You really are a vixen, you know that?" she heard him say to her as he stroked her arm. Considering that she was still sexually inexperienced, she took this as a great compliment.

They helped each other wash, then stepped out of the tub. Putting on the cozy white bathrobes provided by the hotel, Willie started a fire in the fireplace and Maggie retrieved the bottle of champagne and 2 flutes on the table. She lounged on the pillows in front of the fireplace and watched Willie get the fire going. "You look as if you've done this before," she joked.

"Very funny. You tryin' to say that I'm just a servant or somethin'?"

Maggie laughed and replied, "I am saying that you are a man of many talents and I appreciate every one of them!"

He finally got the fire started, then joined Maggie on the floor. He popped open the champagne and poured. They cuddled next to each other and slowly sipped their champagne.

"Willie? I'd like to know what your plans were the night Barnabas attacked you."

"I was goin' to find the family jewels an' take off for Europe."

"Did you have anyone waiting for you in Europe?"

"Nah, I figured I'd find a gal to shack up with until I got my own place."

"You did that a lot, didn't you?"

"I didn't think I'd ever love anybody. I didn't think anybody'd ever love me, so it didn't matter who I was with or where I was goin'." He took another slow sip. "When I met Jason, I figured he'd be my ticket to bigger and better payouts. It worked for a while, then he got greedy and started stiffin' me out of my share."

"I'm glad Jason McGuire is gone. I hope I never see him again."

"You won't."

"How can you be sure?"

Willie took a deep breath and decided to tell her the truth. "Jason is dead."

Maggie's eyes grew wide. "What? How do you know?"

Swirling his champagne in his flute, he responded, "he found Barnabas's coffin, thinkin' there was jewels hidden in it. I begged him not to go down there, he wouldn't listen to me. Barnabas woke up and killed him. I helped him hide the body."

She grew quiet at hearing this confession. "He was a despicable man. You were just doing what Barnabas commanded you to do."

Sighing with relief, Willie responded, "Yeah, I tried to stop him. I didn't want any of it to happen. He was my friend."

Maggie hugged him, whispering, "I understand. I'm sorry that you had to go through that."

Willie gratefully held her. "I'm glad you understand. I don't think I could take it if you hated me."

"Oh, Willie. I could never hate you. You are very special to me." She kissed him, running her hand through his hair. "Now, I have something for you." She got up and opened one of her bags, pulling out a dark blue silk robe with matching boxers. Handing them to him, she said, "I picked these out for you today. I think you'll look great in them!"

He looked slightly shocked. "Y-you actually bought me a present?"

Maggie looked slightly puzzled. "Surely you've received a present before?"

Willie stared at the clothes she gave him, shaking his head. "N-no. I never have. Not anything nice like this." He looked back at her. "Thank you."

She smiled back at him. "You're welcome! Let's see what it looks like!" She helped him take the white robe off and put the blue one on. "I guessed the right size!"

"Yeah, it feels nice."

Maggie admired him for a moment, then felt the need to be in his arms. She reached around through the robe and encircled his torso.

He held her tight, then lifted her chin to meet his lips. He trailed kisses down her neck, reaching his hand into her robe, finding her soft breast. Enjoying her moans of pleasure, he continued fondling her, then proceeded to take off her robe.

Before Maggie knew it, Willie had swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed. She ran her fingers down his back, enjoying the feel of his skin and the firm muscles under her touch. They continued to share heated kisses, then Maggie decided to move on top of him. Finding his member, she sat atop him, forcing it inside her. She began pumping, pushing him as deep as he could go. He placed his hands on her hips, helping her thrust. The pleasure she felt was so intense. "Please! I want you to come!"

Willie continued the thrusting as fast as he could. He finally reached his peak and came. "Are you close?"

Maggie replied, "Yes. Please make me come."

He rolled her on to her back, then moved down to her tummy and kissed her seductively, trailing his kisses down to the spot that ached to be touched.

"What are you doing?"

"Trust me."

The first flick of his tongue sent a jolt of electricity through her body. He continued pleasuring her until she came with such ferocity that Willie had to hold her hips firmly so he could finish. After her spasms stopped, he trailed his kisses back up to her belly, then rested his head. She placed her hands in his hair and stroked it over and over. "You're so good."

"So I've been told," he mumbled as he started to drift off to sleep.

Maggie soon fell asleep, too, but not before experiencing a sense of dread about going home.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

Screams pierced the silence in the hotel room. "Willie! It's dark in here! He's going to kill me!" Willie sat up and turned the light on. He noticed it was 3:34 in the morning. Maggie was sitting straight up in bed, shaking with terror.

"Maggie! I'm right here. What's the matter?"

"It's dark in here. I don't want to be locked up anymore!"

"Baby, you're here with me. You're not in that cell anymore! Look at me!" He turned her towards him. "That's over. You're not goin' back there ever again!" Pulling her to him, he rubbed her back trying to calm her down. "Remember? I ain't gonna let anything happen to ya."

Maggie finally realized that she was safe and calmed down. She held tight to Willie. "Don't let go of me."

"I won't." He gently stroked her hair.

They both laid back down and he held her until she fell asleep again.

Willie had just drifted off to sleep when his arm began to throb. He tried hard to stifle his cries of pain so Maggie wouldn't wake up. Looking at the wounds on his arm, he saw a flash of what Barnabas was seeing at that moment. It was Vicky. Willie panicked, but then realized that there was nothing he could do to save her. He had to put Maggie first. "Oh, Barnabas, please don't kill her" he thought to himself. The pain subsided rather quickly this time, making Willie wonder if Barnabas backed off and spared Vicky, for now. Willie fell asleep again, but not before giving Maggie a gentle kiss on her forehead.

The next morning, Willie and Maggie packed their belongings quietly, not having much to say, both in deep thought. Once they checked out of the hotel, they hailed a cab and went to the airport. Willie purchased the tickets to fly back to Collinsport while Maggie sat down and waited, anxious to see her Pop again.

Giving her some money, Willie told Maggie to call her father and give him the flight information.

Maggie went to the pay phone and dialed the number for Sam Evans.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Pop! It's me!"

"Maggie! Oh my God, where are you?"

"I'm at the airport. I'm coming home."

"Where have you been? What happened?"

"Pop, I was kidnapped, and, uh, taken to Boston, but I was rescued. I'm safe now."

"Who kidnapped you? Who rescued you?"

"It's a long story, Pop, but Willie Loomis rescued me and he's bringing me home."

"Willie Loomis?"

"Yeah, I know it's hard to understand. We'll explain everything when we get home. Will you be at the airport to pick me up?"

"Of course! I'll be there. Oh, darling. I can't wait to see you! What time and what flight?"

She relayed the flight information to him as she heard him furiously write it down. "I've missed you, Pop. See you soon." She hung up. It was so good to hear his voice again. She wished she could tell him the truth.

They boarded the plane an hour later, holding hands as the plane took off.

"Willie?"

"Yeah?"

"What's going to happen when we land?"

He took a deep breath. "You're gonna see your Pop. And you're gonna see Joe. You're gonna forget about me an' move on with your life."

Maggie turned to him. "What did you say?"

He looked back at her. "Forget about me. I can't offer you what you deserve."

"I can't believe you're saying this. I love you!"

"I love you, too, but you gotta understand. I have to let you go."

"No, I don't want you to."

"It's gonna be better for both of us."

"I don't believe you! You're just going to give up and let Barnabas win?" Maggie angrily crossed her arms. "I'm not going to give up on you, Willie Loomis. I still believe there is a way out for you."

"Like I said before, I'm bein' punished and I have to serve my time with him."

"You have already served your time. You saved my life. That should be enough."

Willie just sighed, then decided to lighten the mood. "Well, my offer still stands. I'll pleasure you whenever you want. You know where to find me."

Maggie couldn't help but smile. "You are such a cad."

The plane landed in Collinsport and everyone began to leave. "Well, this is it," Maggie exclaimed.

Willie reached over and kissed her. "You can do this."

She mustered up her courage and tried to quell the butterflies in her stomach. They both walked off the plane and into the airport. Sherriff Patterson stood near the first row of seats next to Sam Evans and Joe Haskell. "Oh, Pop!" she ran into his arms.

"Oh, Maggie! You look so wonderful!" Sam exclaimed.

"You do look wonderful, Maggie," said Joe. She went over to him and gave him a hug.

"Hi, Joe. I saw you and Pop on TV. Thanks for not giving up on me."

"How could we? We love you so much, Maggie. We're so relieved you're okay," Joe replied.

"I'm okay thanks to Willie. He saved my life." She glanced back at him. The sadness in his eyes hurt her deeply.

Sheriff Patterson stepped up to Willie. "You don't have the best reputation in this town, Mr. Loomis. Who kidnapped her and why?"

Willie intentionally looked ashamed. "Uh, his name was Eddie. He followed me to Collinsport and saw me talkin' to Maggie one day. I guess he liked her, so he kidnapped her and took her to Boston. He called me and told me what he did and he wanted me to help him out. Well, I figured you guys would think I had somethin' to do with her kidnappin', so I decided to rescue her on my own, since it was kinda my fault that Eddie came to town in the first place."

Sam and Sheriff Patterson looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "But Willie, why did you take off without telling Mr. Collins where you were going? You took an awful risk with Maggie's life," asked Sheriff Patterson.

"You didn't know Eddie like I did. I thought I had the best chance at savin' Maggie. Anyways, he's dead. We struggled with his gun and it went off. That's it."

"Well, it doesn't matter now. You brought Maggie home safe to us and that's what's important. We owe you a debt of gratitude," Sam said.

Willie shifted nervously, looking down at his feet, then replied, "Look, uh, Maggie's a nice girl and, I didn't want Eddie to hurt her. I wasn't always so nice to her and I felt like I owed her." He didn't dare look at Maggie, afraid he might give away his true feelings. He looked at the sheriff and exclaimed, "I really need to be gettin' back to Mr. Collins now."

Sheriff Patterson looked at Sam, then at Willie. "Okay, Willie. You can go. I'll come by the Old House if I have any more questions."

"Sure." He started to walk away, then Maggie's voice stopped him.

"Wait!" She stepped in front of him and stood there for a brief moment. Then, she hugged him tight. "Thank you, Willie."

He reluctantly put his arms around her, then broke free. He still couldn't look at her, knowing that if he did, he wouldn't be able to let her go. "See ya around." He walked away and headed towards his truck, his heart breaking as he thought about her going back to Joe. "_She's better off with him_."

Maggie watched Willie walk away, her heart breaking that she couldn't go with him. She turned to face Joe. "So, how have you been holding up?" "_I owe him the truth, but I don't know what to say_."

Joe replied, "I haven't slept much, as you can imagine. I have to say, Maggie, you look radiant. I don't think I've ever seen you look so beautiful before!" He gently pulled her to him.

Maggie closed her eyes, trying to block out Willie. She slowly remembered what it felt like to be in Joe's arms. It was so different now. His embrace still comforted her, but the safety she felt before with him was no longer there. Thinking about her past with Joe made her feel exhausted. She stepped back from Joe and looked over at Sam. "Pop, I would really like to go home now."

"Of course. C'mon, Joe. Let's take our girl home."

"Maggie, I'll be in touch if I have any more questions," said Sheriff Patterson.

Sam and Joe escorted Maggie out to the car and drove her home. "Are you all right, darling?" asked Sam.

"Oh, Pop. I'm just very tired."

"I'm sure you are. I would like to know if this Eddie person treated you decent. I mean, did you get enough to eat? Were you kept warm?"

"Yes, Pop. I didn't starve and I was as comfortable as I could be in a dark warehouse." She hated lying to them.

"Did Willie take good care of you once he found you?" asked Joe.

Maggie smiled thinking about Willie and their time together. "He took very good care of me."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I never expected Willie of all people to be a hero."

"Willie is a wonderful man. I owe him my life."

"I'm grateful to him for bringing you back to us."

"I'm sorry that you and Pop spent so much time looking for me. You put your life on hold just for me."

"Oh, Maggie. We weren't going to give up on you. We knew you were still alive," Sam replied.

"Pop? I need you to do something for me?"

"Sure. Anything."

"Please make sure that nothing happens to Willie."

"What could happen to Willie?" "I just want to make sure that Sheriff Patterson leaves him alone and doesn't try to charge him with anything. I know Willie's made some mistakes in the past and I don't want that to make anyone suspicious of him."

"Well, I'll do what I can. Don't you worry, darling."

"Thanks, Pop." Maggie closed her eyes and dozed off.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9_

The drive to the Old House was long and painful for Willie. He tried not to think of Maggie. Focusing on his daily duties at the Old House, he decided to start with chopping firewood. The strenuous task would be a better focus for his anger and pain. He parked around back in his usual spot, grabbed his bags, and carried them upstairs to his room. It took only a few moments to unpack as he hung up the robe and boxers that Maggie had given him. He missed her so much. _"I gotta forget about her." _He removed his shirt and headed out back to chop firewood. The feeling of the axe in his hand and the power behind each chop gave him a satisfying release. After spending a good half hour splitting wood, Willie went back inside and worked on polishing the silver. He kept himself busy the rest of the day cleaning and doing odd jobs around the house. As he was tidying up the fireplace, Barnabas came up the stairs and sat down in his favorite chair.

"Well, Willie? Did everything go as planned when you turned the Evans girl over to her father?"

Willie nodded. "Yeah, everything went as planned."

"You can guarantee that Miss Evans will not say anything about me?"

"She's not gonna say a word."

"Good. If that ever changes, you know what I will do."

"Yeah, I know." Willie furiously dusted the table, wishing he had the courage to hurt Barnabas.

"I am very displeased with you, taking my family's jewels for money. However, I know that you will be paying me back for everything you stole." Barnabas stood up and walked over to Willie, looking at him curiously. "Something happened between you and Miss Evans, didn't it?"

Willie stopped for a moment, then continued dusting. "What makes you say that?"

"I can sense it. You admitted to me that you were in love with her. You acted upon that love, didn't you?"

He moved to the fireplace mantle and began to dust again. "It doesn't matter. Maggie's back with Joe, where she belongs."

"Oh, I see. You are pretending that it doesn't bother you. Well, I have been in your shoes before, Willie. I do know what you are feeling."

The realization that something had happened to Barnabas made Willie turn and look at him. "You've been with Vicky, haven't ya? I saw you go after her!"

Barnabas smiled. "I tasted her blood and she is my true Josette. She loves the past as I love it. She is perfect for me. She will be my bride, willingly."

After leaving Maggie with Joe, Willie couldn't help but feel jealous of Barnabas, who, once again, was going to get what he wanted. "Congratulations. When's the wedding?"

"I don't like your sarcasm, Willie. When I do make Vicky my bride, you will not be able to stop me like you did before with Maggie."

"Look, Barnabas, I promise not to interfere only if Vicky truly wants to marry you and she knows what you are."

"She will know and accept me anyway."

"Do you really believe that? Why would anyone want to exist like you, or like me?" "You? What is so wrong with your existence? You have a job, a roof over your head, food, and clothing!"

"The pain in my arm whenever you're about to attack someone! The visions that I can't get outta my head! I can't be with the woman I love because of you!"

"Really? Would Maggie have ever given you the time of day if I hadn't kidnapped her?"

Barnabas's words stung as Willie felt even more depressed. "That's why she's with Joe and not me. I accept it."

"Do you? You can't tell me that if she were to come here wanting to be with you that you would deny her."

"I don't know what I'd do."

"You would indulge her and give her what she wants."

"I don't wanna talk about Maggie."

Barnabas took a deep breath. "You are going to help me with Vicky and that is my final word on the subject!"

Just as Willie began to protest, there was a knock at the door. He went to answer it and it was Vicky.

"Oh, Willie! I heard about you bringing Maggie back home. That was a wonderful thing you did for her!"

"Well, it wasn't that big a deal. I just didn't want her to be hurt."

"It is a big deal! You're a hero!"

"If you say so. Anyways, you here to see Barnabas? He's in here." He watched her walk into the room and extend her arms to Barnabas.

"Vicky! I'm so delighted to see you!" gushed Barnabas.

She hugged him excitedly and said, "I had to see you. I wanted to share something I found at Collinwood."

"Willie, why don't you take the night off. You've had a long journey and deserve to relax," Barnabas said.

Reluctantly, Willie left him alone with Vicky. He decided to head over to The Blue Whale for a stiff drink.

Maggie finished the dinner her father had cooked for her, then decided to go to bed. "Goodnight, Pop."

"Goodnight, Maggie. Let me know if you need anything."

"I will. Goodnight, Joe."

"Goodnight, Maggie. May I see you tomorrow?"

"Why don't you meet me at the diner tomorrow for breakfast?"

"I'll meet you there at nine, okay?"

She nodded, then went to her room, happy to have a bit of solitude. As she changed into her nightgown, she wondered how Willie was doing. She tried hard not to cry. The emptiness she felt consumed her and she felt as if she would never feel whole again without Willie. It didn't take long for sleep to take over as Maggie laid down on her soft bed. The visions came in her dreams of the cold, dark cell and Barnabas's eyes as he repeatedly asked her to be his Josette. The music box played over and over, torturing her as she tried to block it out. She then dreamed of Willie and saw Barnabas towering over him as he stood in front of Maggie, his cane raised up, ready to strike him. "NO!" She sat up in bed, screaming. Sam came running into the room and and held her.

"Maggie! Wake up! You're safe!" He held her, trying to calm her down.

"Pop! It was awful! I need Willie! Please, will you get him for me?"

Sam looked at his frantic daughter. "Willie? You want Willie?"

"Yes, please, Pop! Please find Willie for me!"

"Okay, darling. I will."

Sam ran over to the phone and called Collinwood. Maggie listened intently.

"Hi, Carolyn. This is Sam Evans. Can you get a message over to the Old House?" He paused. "I need Willie Loomis to come over to my house as soon as possible." Another pause. "Thank you. It's very urgent."

The double bourbon straight in Willie's hand was only half gone when Vicky entered The Blue Whale. "Oh, Willie! I'm glad I found you!"

Willie turned, surprised to hear Vicky's voice behind him. "Vicky? What's the matter?"

"Sam Evans called. He says he needs you to go to his house right away."

"Why?" He had a feeling that he knew, but hoped it wasn't so.

"I don't know. He just said to get over to his house as soon as possible."

Willie swallowed hard, nervous about seeing Maggie. "Okay, let's go." They both left in Willie's truck and arrived at Sam's home in a matter of minutes. Vicky and Willie exited the truck and rang the doorbell. Sam answered immediately.

"Willie! Thank goodness you're here. It's Maggie. She's asking for you."

"Where is she?"

"She's in her room - straight ahead that way."

Willie hurried over to the door and knocked. "Maggie? You okay?"

"Oh, Willie!" she replied in a teary voice. The door opened a few seconds later and she threw her arms around him.

He hesitantly put his arms around her quivering shoulders, aware of the eyes on them. "What happened, huh? Why did your Pop call me?"

"It was an awful dream! I dreamed about him and he was going to kill us both!"

"Shhh," he soothed, "It was just a dream. You're safe back at your house."

"I need you. Can you stay with me, just for a little while?"

Willie nervously glanced back at Vicky and Sam, who watched intently. He met Sam's gaze, silently asking for permission to stay. Sam understood and nodded his approval. "Maggie? Why dontcha sit down right here." He escorted her back to her bed and they both sat down at the end. "I can't stay long. Barnabas is gonna need me."

Maggie began to feel angry about Barnabas, then remembered they had an audience and she couldn't let on that he was the one who held her hostage. She stood up and went back to the door. "Excuse us for just a moment, please." Maggie shut the door, surprising Willie at her boldness. She sat back down.

"Whaddya doin'? They're gonna suspect somethin's up!"

"I don't care, Willie. I'll explain to them later. I don't feel safe without you. Do you understand?"

Willie stood up and faced the french doors leading outside. "Maggie, you have to forget about me, and I have to forget about you."

Maggie crossed her arms, frustrated. "Why are you doing this?"

Willie turned to her and helplessly looked into her eyes. "Maggie, please don't make this harder than it is. Dontcha know how badly I want to be with ya! We just can't!"

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Don't look at me like that. Now, I'm gonna open that door and you're gonna go back to sleep." Before she could protest, he opened the door, then helped her lay back on her pillow. "Go back to sleep. You're gonna be fine. You've got too many people worried about ya."

"Are you leaving now?"

Willie exhaled, gaining control over his frustration. "I'll stay until you fall asleep, if you want."

She nodded and reached for his hand. He sat down next to her and held onto her hand as she closed her eyes.

He stayed until she fell asleep, then gently laid her hand down. He couldn't resist touching her soft cheek before leaving her room. Walking out to the living room, Sam and Vicky both stood up to meet him.

"I want to thank you for helping with Maggie," Sam said.

Willie nodded in response. "It'll take her some time to get over it. She was real scared when I found her."

"You really seem to care about her. She seems to care for you a great deal, too."

"She's a real nice girl. Everybody likes her."

"Yes, well I won't forget that it's thanks to you that she's home."

"Well, it's over and she'll be fine. Vicky, are you ready to go?"

"Yes," she turned to Sam, "Good night, Sam. I'll come and visit Maggie tomorrow if she's feeling up to it."

"I'm sure she would like that."

Willie and Vicky got back in the truck. "You were so great with Maggie," Vicky said.

"I guess I feel responsible for her."

"I think it's more than that."

"What makes you say that?" "I've known Maggie a while now and I've never seen her look at Joe that way. You two have a connection that is very obvious."

"It's just because I rescued her, that's all it is."

"I don't mean to pry, but I could see that you didn't really want to leave her. You love her, don't you?"

"We only spent a few days together."

"That's plenty of time to fall in love with someone."

Willie suddenly realized that Vicky was speaking from experience. "Y-you and B-Barnabas?"

Vicky happily nodded. "He's so wonderful! I've spent the last few evenings with him.

Willie panicked. It was happening already. He looked over at Vicky and noticed that she was wearing a scarf around her neck. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach. "You know everything, don't ya?"

"Barnabas is my destiny. I'm so happy with him."

"Do you know what he's got planned for ya? It can't be what you want!"

"As long as I'm with him, I don't care."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. They arrived at Collinwood and she got out, but not before telling him, "I can keep your secret if you can keep mine." He nodded in response, speechless. He watched her go inside Collinwood, then headed back to the Old House.

"Willie! I hope everything is well with Miss Evans?"

"You better tell me what you're up to! Vicky is friends with Maggie and you're takin' a big risk!" "I don't have to tell you anything! You forget your place, Willie."

"Vicky is a nice girl and I don't want you to hurt her."

"I am not hurting her. I am simply giving in to her desires."

"You're controllin' her, aren't ya?"

"I have power over you and over Miss Winters. How I use that power is none of your business. Don't forget, I still have power over your precious Maggie, too."

"You leave Maggie alone! She's been through enough 'cause of you!"

"Willie, I am going to remind you of your promise not to interfere with my plans for Miss Winters. She discovered what I am this evening and still wants to be with me."

"She's not thinkin' for herself!" "I am getting the feeling that you are not going to keep your promise. That is unfortunate. I may have to do something drastic."

"W-what are you gonna do?"

"You must excuse me. I have to go and visit Miss Winters. She left her bag behind." He walked out, leaving Willie scared and confused, wondering what he was planning.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

Barnabas returned to the Old House shortly before 2am. Willie tossed and turned, trying to get some sleep, but the pain in his arm kept him awake. Strangely, no visions came to him. Barnabas was blocking him from seeing what he was doing. He had done that before. He heard the door open, so he sprang out of bed and ran downstairs, grabbing his robe and putting it on. Their eyes met. Willie watched in horror as Barnabas wiped the remainder of blood off his lips. He gave him a cold smile, then walked into the sitting room. "I will leave instructions for you on the end table. Tomorrow, you will carry them out down to the last detail. Now, go back to bed," he called to him. Willie stood frozen for a moment, then decided to go back to his room. He realized there was nothing he could do for Vicky. He laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about Maggie. Soon, he drifted off to sleep.

Maggie sat up in her bed in a trance. Barnabas stood before her at the foot of her bed. She knew that she should be terrified, but somehow she wasn't.

"I still control you, Maggie Evans. You are never going to let anyone know that it was I who kidnapped you. Do you understand?"

She nodded obediently. He creeped over to her and drank from her.

"That will strengthen our bond once again. You will not be afraid to come to the Old House. Do you understand?"

She again nodded obediently.

"I may need your assistance with my plans. Be ready when I call to you. Keep your neck covered and forget that I visited you tonight."

Maggie laid back down and went to sleep.

Willie awoke to a knock at the door. He noticed that the sun was up. It was just after dawn. He ran downstairs and opened the door.

"Maggie! Whaddya doin' here?" Willie demanded. She wore a pink collared dress that was very short. He tried not to notice how cute she looked.

"I had to see you, Willie. May I come in?"

"I can't believe you'd wanna come back here!"

"Don't you want to see me?"

"Damn it, Maggie. You tryin' to make me crazy?"

"Yes," she replied simply, then gave him a teasing smile.

Willie smiled back in spite of himself. He stepped back and gestured for her to come in. As soon as Willie closed the door, Maggie pulled him into a passionate kiss. He lifted her up, kissing her as passionately as she kissed him.

"I see you're wearing the present I gave you," she said.

"Yeah, of course I am."

"I had to see you. I miss you so much."

"I know. I miss you, too." He stroked her face, then kissed her again, trailing his lips down her chin and neck. "I wanna forget you, but I can't."

"Willie, I need you. I want you to make love to me again."

Willie stared at her for a minute. "You sure?"

She nodded, looking up at him with lust in her eyes.

His desire for her consumed him. He lifted her into his arms, keeping his lips on hers as he carried her up to his room. Laying her down on his bed, he reached under her dress and touched her panties, feeling the wetness had soaked through. "You missed me that much?" he teased, enjoying her desire for him.

"Well, you told me you would pleasure me whenever I wanted, remember?"

Satisfied with her brazen attitude, he pulled her panties down and threw them aside. He enjoyed watching Maggie arch her back, then lift up her dress, exposing part of her lacy bra. He removed his robe, then she grabbed his waist and pulled down his boxers. She took his erect member in her hand, then put her lips around the tip, licking the bottom. He plunged his hands into her hair, trying to stay standing, overwhelmed with pleasure. After a moment, she stopped, then gently pulled it towards her waiting opening. He eagerly plunged into her, thrusting while holding her legs around his hips. It didn't take long for both of them to come, one after the other. Willie laid on top of her, his energy spent for the moment. He looked down at her, noticing that her eyes were closed. "So, what are you gonna do today?"

"I'm meeting Joe in an hour."

Willie paused before speaking. "You've decided to go back to him."

"No, Willie. I owe him the truth." She stood up and pulled her dress down and retrieved her panties.

"You're gonna tell him about us?" Willie replied, following Maggie's lead and throwing his clothes on.

She nodded in reply. "I have to."

Willie grabbed her shoulders. "You can't tell him about us! I think you'd be happier if you'd stay with Joe."

"I think I know what would make me happy! I lost at least 2 weeks of my life down in that dungeon! I am not going to let anyone tell me what to do any more, not even you!" she shouted at him.

Willie looked at her, admiring her spunk. "You're not gonna change your mind, are ya?"

"Not unless you tell me that you don't love me."

Willie wished with all his heart that he could say those words. He smiled in spite of himself, placing his hand on her cheek. "I can't do that."

Maggie smiled back at him, placing her hand on top of his. "Please trust me. I trust you. Everything will be alright." She kissed him, then left.

Joe was sitting at the table in the corner at the diner where Maggie worked when she finally arrived. "I'm sorry I'm late, Joe. I had to take care of a few things."

"Oh, that's alright," Joe replied as he stood to kiss her on the cheek. "I ordered us some coffee."

"Thanks. I need some." She sat down at the same time as he did, then eagerly fixed her coffee with sweetener and cream.

"So, how are you?" asked Joe.

"Much better, thank you. I have some things I want to talk to you about."

Joe looked down at his cup of coffee, looking as if he already knew. "I could tell you had some things on your mind last night. So, I'm listening."

Maggie looked at the handsome man in front of her, not wanting to hurt him. "Joe, a lot has happened to me. I can't explain everything, but the one thing I do want to tell you is that, well, I have to break off our engagement."

Joe paused before replying, "Oh, I see. May I have a reason why?"

Maggie took a deep breath, feeling ashamed. "I haven't been faithful to you."

Joe stared at her in disbelief. "You've been unfaithful? When?" He paused, thinking it over. "Wait a minute, did that Eddie person make you do..."

"No, Joe. It wasn't him."

"Well, if it wasn't him, than who..." he trailed off as he realized the truth. "Loomis!"

Maggie nodded in response, looking up at him briefly.

"Did he force you? I'll kill him if he..."

"No! He didn't force me to do anything. He rescued me and I fell in love with him. It happened just like that." She sipped her coffee nervously.

He put his head in his hand, frantically rubbing his forehead. "Um, I just don't understand. You were only with him for a few days."

"I'm so sorry, Joe. You have been so good to me and I don't want to hurt you. I just had to tell you the truth."

The silence between them was deafening. "So, does he love you, I mean really love you?"

"Yes, he does. He risked his life for me more than once."

"I, I just don't know what else to say. I think I need to get out of here." He rose to leave.

She stood to meet him. "Wait, Joe. I'm so sorry. I hope you can forgive me someday."

He looked back at her, gently touched her arm, then whispered, with pain in his voice, "I hope he makes you happy." Then, he left.

Maggie sat back down and the tears rolled down her cheeks. She felt awful hurting him. She stayed until she finished her coffee, taking slow, deliberate sips, contemplating her situation. Leaving a sizeable tip with the bill, Maggie left the diner and headed home.

"Pop, I'm home!" Maggie shouted as she walked in the front door.

"Oh, Maggie. I'll be right out." He was in the kitchen, brewing some coffee. "Would you like some coffee?"

"No thanks, Pop. I just had some." She sat down on the couch, holding onto one of the throw pillows.

Sam came out, holding his coffee cup, and sat down in his easy chair. He took one look at his daughter and knew something was wrong. "Did you want to talk?"

Maggie looked at her father in desperation. "I broke up with Joe. I really hurt him, Pop."

"Why did you break up with him? I don't understand."

"I've done something that I can't take back."

Sam studied his daughter, then saved her from having to divulge the details. "Something happened between you and Willie, didn't it?"

Maggie looked at her father in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I've been around long enough to tell when 2 people are in love with each other."

"I can't explain how it happened. I didn't mean to hurt Joe." She went over and sat on her father's lap.

"Of course you didn't, darling," he stroked her back, trying to comfort her. "Sometimes things happen between people that no one can control. The only thing I want to know is if Willie is really worthy of my daughter. He doesn't have the best reputation, you know."

Maggie smiled at her Pop, feeling so relieved that he seemed to understand. "He's changed so much. He's not the same man he used to be. He really loves me, Pop."

Sam nodded. "I'm sure he does. Who wouldn't love you?"

"Oh, Pop! You're biased."

"Of course I am. Darling, as long as he makes you happy, I won't object to your seeing him."

She hugged him tight. "I love you, Pop."

"I love you, too, Maggie."

They spent the rest of the day together and, soon, it was twilight. Vicky came over to visit Maggie as soon as the sun went down. They sat down on the couch, each with a cup of coffee.

"So, how are you feeling?" asked Vicky.

"Oh, much better, thank you," Maggie replied, looking forward to some girl talk.

"I can't imagine what you've been through. It must have been so frightening being kidnapped and held hostage."

"Yes, it was. Until Willie came to rescue me."

"Willie has changed so much. He really cares about you."

"I care about him, too."

"So, how is Joe?" Maggie looked away, ashamed of hurting Joe. "Well, Vicky, I broke up with Joe this afternoon." She turned to look at her friend, expecting a shocked reaction. Vicky didn't look shocked at all.

"I think I know why you broke up with him."

"Is it as obvious as my father informed me earlier?"

"You and Willie are in love. Yes, it was very obvious last night."

"Oh. Well, I've never been very good at hiding my feelings." Maggie took a sip of coffee.

"It's an amazing thing to be in love. It's hard to hide it."

Maggie suddenly looked at Vicky and realized that she seemed different. "Vicky? Are you in love, too?"

Vicky looked down, slightly embarrassed. "Well, yes I am." "Who's the lucky fellow?"

"It's Barnabas Collins."

Maggie froze with her lips on the rim of her cup. The horror of what that name meant to her resurfaced and she tried with all her might to keep her hand from shaking. It took a moment for her to regain control of her voice. "Really? Barnabas Collins?" she tried to ask nonchalantly.

Vicky started to look confused at Maggie's reaction. "Yes, he and I have so much in common."

Maggie wanted to tell Vicky everything, how Barnabas was evil and he was the one who had kidnapped Maggie. She couldn't do it, afraid that Barnabas would come after her or hurt Willie in revenge. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. He's the one for me, just as Willie is the one for you."

"I'm happy for you," she lied, "just make sure he treats you well."

"You do the same."

The ladies finished their coffee and Vicky left to go have dinner with Barnabas. Maggie worried about her friend. She decided to ask Willie to keep an eye on her.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11_

Willie spent the rest of the day carrying out Barnabas's orders. He went to town and purchased what he needed for a special dinner for Vicky and worked in the garden and brought fresh flowers inside to put in all the vases. More firewood was to be chopped, so he took care of that, just as Barnabas wished. He became nervous as the sun went down, worried about Maggie.

"Willie? Is everything ready?" Barnabas called as he came through the doorway.

"Yeah, Barnabas. I did everything you wanted." Willie replied, "You said last night that you still have power over Maggie. You haven't tried anything on her, have ya?"

"Why do you ask?"

"The nightmare she had the other night. Did you cause it?"

"I don't have to justify my actions to you," he snarled.

"I've done everythin' you asked me to do. I haven't interfered with your plans for Vicky. Now, I wanna know why you would even think of botherin' Maggie."

Barnabas sighed, as if bored with him. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe she wants me to attack her?"

"What?" Willie replied back, angry at Barnabas for insinuating such a thing.

"You heard me. Perhaps, she enjoys it."

Willie balled up his fist, wanting so much to hit him. "Don't you talk about her like that!"

"She came to you this morning for sexual gratification, didn't she? I provide a different kind of gratification for her. She's attracted to the darkness."

"Like hell she is. She's terrified of the dark!"

"So she says. I believe, at the same time, she is intrigued by it, and wants to be a part of it."

"How would you know?"

"I've tasted her blood. I know her deepest desires, her deepest thoughts. She is very infatuated with you, Willie, but you cannot satisfy her every need."

Willie was dumbfounded. "I don't believe ya."

"Well, it's true. She is a free spirit, and she longs to be more than just a small town waitress. I must give you credit, Willie. By choosing you over young Haskell was a step in the right direction."

"Why do ya say that?"

"Young Haskell is the perfect man - extremely ordinary. You, on the other hand, have a dark past. She is drawn to it and it excites her."

Before Willie could respond, there was a knock at the door. "Willie, that would be Miss Winters. I would like for you to leave us alone, please."

Willie answered the door and let Vicky in. He quickly left and drove to Maggie's house, feeling disgusted with Barnabas.

The doorbell startled Sam and Maggie as they were concentrating on their individual paintings. Maggie opened the door to find that it was Willie.

"Oh, Willie! I'm glad you're here!" she happily greeted him and ushered him inside.

"Hi, um, how ya feelin'?" Willie was nervous, not sure how to act in front of Sam.

"Willie, Pop knows about us," she said quietly.

Willie glanced over at Sam, who smiled at him in an approving fashion, which happily surprised Willie.

"I'll leave you two alone to talk," Sam said as he walked into his room and closed the door.

"Did you know that Vicky thinks she's in love with Barnabas?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah, I just found out."

"Willie, she's my friend and I don't want him to hurt her. Please keep an eye on her for me."

"I'll try."

Maggie put her arms around Willie and kissed him. He embraced her in response. "You're just in time for dinner."

"Oh, are you sure your pop is okay with me?"

"Yes, he is. You have his stamp of approval." Maggie took him by the hand and led him to the couch so they could sit.

"Really? I've never had a girl's father approve of me before. This is a first." He leaned forward, wringing his hands.

Maggie put her hands on his and stopped him. "Willie, please don't be nervous. Pop is an easy guy to get along with!"

"That's easy for you to say. There was a time when he wanted to knock my lights out."

She lightly chuckled, "Yes, but not anymore." Moving her hand to his cheek, she turned his face towards hers. "Are you going to be okay now?"

Willie nodded, finding comfort in her dark eyes. He heard a timer go off in the kitchen and watched Maggie quickly head that direction. Sam came out of the other room and sat is his chair. They both looked at each other as Willie tried to smile.

"Well, I'm glad you came by. Maggie's a wonderful cook and she's prepared quite a spread. So, do you like roast beef?"

"I-It's b-been a while since I had it."

"Yes, me, too. It's one of my favorites. Tell me, how are you enjoying working for Mr. Collins?"

"I-It's workin' out just fine."

"I noticed some of the restoration work that was done when I was there last. Was that all your handiwork?"

"Yeah. I did it all."

"I'm very impressed. You have a talent for working with your hands. I can appreciate that."

"Thank you, Mr. Evans."

"Look, I know this sounds a bit old-fashioned, but Maggie is very important to me and I only want her happiness."

"I want her to be happy, too."

"Good. I think that you've proven yourself by rescuing her. Now, promise me that you will continue to protect her. I know this Eddie person is dead, but I still have a feeling that Maggie is being watched, somehow. It doesn't make sense. It could just be paranoia. Whatever it is, I would like you to promise me that you will look out for her."

"Yeah, Mr. Evans, I can promise you that."

Sam smiled. "Good." At that moment, Sam watched Maggie bring dinner to the table. "Come on, Willie. Let's eat."

The three of them enjoyed their dinner, sharing idle chit-chat, and feeling like a real family. Willie had never experienced this before and it made him happy. Sam began to clear the table and took everything to the kitchen. Willie reached over and took Maggie's hand. "I love you. I've never been this happy in my whole life. It doesn't seem real."

Maggie beamed back at him. "I love you, too. I'm so glad you came over." She went over to his chair and sat in his lap. They shared a brief kiss before Sam came back into the room.

"Oh, don't mind me, kids." Sam sat down in his chair and pulled out the newspaper.

"Pop, Willie and I are going to go out for a little while. We'll be back later, okay?"

"Sure, darling. Have a nice time."

They stepped outside and stood on the front porch. "Where do you wanna go?" asked Willie.

"Let's go for a walk. I'd just like to talk with you."

"Okay." They walked hand in hand down the street.

Maggie was the first to break the silence after they made their way to the end of the long street. "What would you do if Barnabas no longer controlled you?"

He stopped walking and paused. Then, he turned to her. "I can't imagine not bein' controlled by anyone. That's how it's been my whole life."

"What do you mean?"

"Before Barnabas, it was Jason. Before Jason, it was the booze, the women, everythin'."

"Your father, too?"

"Yeah, him, too." He looked down at their joined hands. He raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed it. "You're the only one I don't mind servin'."

"I'd like to think we are more equal than that."

"No, you are far above me, Miss Evans," Willie traced his lips across each finger, giving her a seductive glance. "I consider it a privilege to pleasure you."

Maggie moved closer to him, anticipating a kiss, which he delivered with searing passion. After a moment, she managed to whisper, "I don't think we're gonna get very far with our walk."

They both laughed and continued to kiss each other. "I wish there was somewhere we could go," Willie said.

Maggie thought about it and realized he was right. "Do you think we could sneak into your room at the Old House?"

"You really are desperate, aren't ya?" he teased.

"I think your room is the only place we could be alone."

"Are you sure you'll be okay if we run into Barnabas?"

Maggie nodded. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm not afraid of him like I was before."

"Okay, then." They walked back to his truck and they drove to the Old House.

Willie carefully opened the front door and cautiously looked around. There was no sign of Barnabas and he didn't sense him anywhere near. He took Maggie's hand and led her up the stairs. Once they entered his room, he carefully closed his door and locked it. "Now, where were we?" He encircled her waist and continued kissing her. He reached for the light, but Maggie stopped him.

Maggie returned his kisses, eager to feel his hands on her body. She took off his jacket, then lifted his shirt over his head. Assisting him with his jeans, they came off easily.

She moved his hand around to her back so he could unzip her dress. It fell to the floor after she shrugged out of it, revealing a black slip underneath. She put his hands on her shoulders and he moved them down her arms, making her shiver with anticipation. Maggie pulled him to her and found his lips with her own.

He couldn't wait any longer for her. Her slip was the next thing to come off, then her panties. He took off his underwear, then guided her to his bed. Slipping between the sheets, he grabbed her hips, pulling her close, then managed to slip into her and began thrusting.

Maggie was in ecstasy as he penetrated her. She ran her hands over his shoulder blades, gently urging him on, then moved them down to his butt cheeks and helped him thrust deeper. She felt as if she were about to come when he exploded inside her. Her orgasm came right after, with the help of his eager fingers.

He rested on top of her for a moment, then nestled himself in her embrace. "I love you, Maggie."

"I love you, Willie." They both fell asleep unintentionally. Plagued with nightmares of Barnabas again, Maggie shot up in bed, trembling with fear. She didn't dare scream, remembering where she was. Looking over at Willie, Maggie thought about waking him up, but decided against it when he looked so peaceful. Then, Barnabas's voice was heard inside her head. "No, not again!" she whispered to herself as she held her head in her hands.

"Maggie, I beckon you to come to me." Barnabas's voice said.

She felt the control drain out of her as she quietly rose from her bed, still naked, and walked down the stairs. The fear of him was gone, yet she couldn't understand why she wasn't afraid. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, Barnabas greeted her with a white gown and put it on her. She put her hand in his as he lead her to the basement. He then chained her to the wall and reopened the neck wounds he originally inflicted. Maggie could feel that something was wrong, but was powerless to do anything about it. Barnabas moved to the other side of her neck and bit her again. The blood ran down the gown she wore, staining it in two streaks. Her surroundings blurred off and on and it was hard to stay awake. She strained to listen to Barnabas's words.

"Ah, I enjoy the taste of your blood. You've given me the energy to complete my task." She watched him walk over to the other coffin that had originally been meant for her and open the lid. Vicky was inside. He gently woke her, bit into his own wrist, and put it in her mouth. She drank his blood eagerly. As she sat up, Maggie noticed she was wearing the same white gown as her - blood stained and all. After a moment, both turned to look at her. Barnabas walked back over to Maggie.

"Now, Miss Evans, what shall I do with you? You have served your purpose in my plan to make Vicky my bride. I thought you should know that if I leave you here, as you are, you will die. Willie's not here to save you this time."

Maggie replied weakly, "You leave Willie alone."

"Willie belongs to me. I will do whatever I want with him. Now, what is it going to be? Shall I kill you now, make you like me, or shall I let you linger here to die?"

"Please, you have Vicky now. Let Willie go. He deserves his freedom after everything he's done for you."

"No, believe it or not, I have become accustomed to Willie's service. You do realize that he would not survive without me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Willie must be controlled. He cannot live without someone or something making decisions for him. His life of crime is a true reflection of his inability to ever be free."

"He helped me escape. That was his own choice."

"No, my dear. He allowed his love for you to make that decision for him. Now, I am going to tend to my new bride. I suggest you make your choice quickly." He turned away.

"Wait, Barnabas! I have to know why you're even giving me a choice!"

He turned back to face her and took a deep breath. "Josette felt she didn't have a choice when she jumped to her death from Widow's Hill. In honor of my love for her, I am allowing you to choose your fate."

Maggie's mind raced as she struggled to maintain consciousness. She thought about how much she loved Willie and how grateful she was for everything he had done for her. If she were to die now, all he had done would be in vain. She thought about the suffering Willie had endured under Barnabas's control - the humiliation, the beatings, the torture. If she died, it would go on and he would continue to carry the guilt of his crimes. She had to do something. Suddenly, the choice became clear. "Barnabas! I know what I want. Make me what you are."

He looked at her, somewhat surprised by her response. "I don't want to die, Barnabas. I want to live. I want the chance to be with the man I love. If the only way for me to live is to become like you, then that is my choice. Please." She watched Barnabas's expression grow pensive. "You wanted me as your bride before, remember? If you make me what you are, the fact that you were the one that kidnapped me will remain a secret forever! If you kill me, then you'll be questioned again by the police. Think about it!" She watched Vicky's expression as she realized the truth about Maggie's kidnapping.

Vicky turned to Barnabas. "It was you?" Barnabas almost looked embarrassed as he nodded to her in reply. Vicky looked down, as if trying to understand.

"Vicky! You're one of my best friends. Please, help me. Help me to be with Willie. He needs me. Please, you know how much I love him! Just like you love Barnabas. Please! Don't let me die!"

Vicky looked up at her friend and looked at Barnabas. "Barnabas, she is my friend. She and Willie deserve a chance to be together, just like us. Please, I want you to do it."

"Are you sure, my love?"

She nodded in response. "Give Maggie what she asks for."

He walked over to Maggie. "You will make a lovely bride," Barnabas bared his fangs and drank more of her blood. He bit into his wrist again and she drank from it.

Willie dreamed of Maggie, lying underneath him as they made love. He smiled, caressing her hair, then pushed it aside when he noticed something on her neck. He gasped aloud when he saw the fresh fang marks. "Maggie! Oh my God!" Willie felt sick when he realized that it was her that Barnabas had attacked, not Vicky.

"Barnabas still wants me," she replied, as if under a trance as she touched the marks on her neck.

"No! He wants Vicky Winters. He doesn't need you anymore."

Maggie opened her eyes wide, suddenly aware of what she said. "Willie! You have to save me!"

He nodded in reply, "I'll do what I can." Willie woke up immediately, then looked over to notice Maggie was gone. The terror he felt in his heart was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Then, he heard Barnabas calling to him in his head. He threw on his underwear and jeans and headed to the basement as quickly as he could. As he flew down the stairs, Barnabas's voice stopped him cold. "Now, my dearest brides, I'll bring you some more blood." Willie watched Barnabas as he looked up the stairs at him. Willie continued to the basement.

The first thing he saw was Maggie chained to the wall, covered in blood stains. "Barnabas, what did you do to her!" Willie shouted, horrified at what he saw. He ran over to Maggie, caressing her cheek.

"What did he do to ya, huh? Oh, Maggie. You're covered in blood. Oh, God!" he tried to stifle his urge to cry.

"Willie, you are too late."

Willie looked back at Barnabas with pure hatred. "Why? Why did you do this to her?"

"I needed fresh blood in order for me to make Vicky my bride. I sensed that she was here in the house, so, I took her."

Maggie looked at Willie. He caressed her face and, in agony, whispered to her, "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you." Tears slid down his cheeks.

She looked deep into his eyes. "You already did. It's my turn to save you." she whispered back.

"What do you mean?" he backed away from her, then turned to see Vicky coming at him, fangs bared. She grabbed him as he shouted in horror. Looking at Barnabas, he said in a defeated voice, "You really did it. You made Vicky your bride."

Barnabas stopped Vicky from attacking Willie. "Release him, Vicky. He is not for you."

She did as she was told, moving to Barnabas's side. Willie leaned against Barnabas's coffin, trying to comprehend what was going on. His knees felt as if they would buckle at any moment.

"Barnabas. Take me out of these chains," Maggie commanded. He complied.

Willie stood in amazement as Maggie approached him. He noticed that she glanced at Barnabas, who's expression changed from domination to defeat.

She then looked at Willie and said, "I'm not afraid anymore! Isn't that wonderful?" The strength and power she felt surging through her body felt amazing.

Something was wrong. She was still beautiful, but had an unearthly quality about her that both intrigued him and frightened him at the same time. "What's the matter? Somethin's wrong, isn't it? What the hell did he do to ya?"

"I chose to live, Willie. I am taking you away from Barnabas." Her fangs began to show. Before he could scream, she bit him, drinking just enough to take control of him. They both slid to their knees. When she finished, she whispered in his ear, "You're not his slave anymore, my darling. You belong to me now." She held him tight as she experienced a new closeness with him, far beyond the love she already had for him.

Willie took a moment to try and understand what he was feeling. He looked over at Barnabas first and realized he couldn't hear or feel him anymore. It was so strange, yet wonderful. Instead, he was a part of Maggie, and he could feel her love for him in a way he could never have imagined. Looking into her beautiful eyes, the relief flooded his entire being. She was still the same wonderful woman he fell in love with. "Y-you d-did this for me?"

She nodded in reply and took his hands into hers, standing up and helping him to his feet. "I did it for us. You saved my life before and I didn't want to die after everything we've been through together, and I wanted to free you from Barnabas. I wanted us to have a future together."

This time, it was Willie who cried as he pulled her into his embrace. "Thank you," he whispered as he held her tight.

Maggie held on to Willie, enjoying the new bond they had forged. A tear slid down her face, making her realize that she had not lost her humanity. "I love you so much. Everything's going to be fine."

"We'll see." He turned to look at Barnabas and Vicky, who silently watched the exchange between them.

"You did the right thing, my love," Vicky whispered to Barnabas. He gently patted her arm that was encircled with his and smiled at his new bride.

"Well, Willie, I am inviting you to remain living here in this house, if you wish. Along with Miss Evans, of course. You can keep your job as well. I will pay you a fair salary."

"Y-you'd do that, Barnabas? Why?"

"Despite everything that you and I have been through, I am capable of being a reasonable man."

"What do you think, Maggie?" Willie asked.

She thought about Pop and how to explain things to him. She thought about her job and realized that she could still work if she wanted to. She would just switch to the night shift. Then, there was Willie. How long would she keep him as her servant? "I think we have a lot of decisions to make."


End file.
